SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Oct. 3 (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Government of the Canary Islands, Alicia Vanoostende, together with the General Director of Agriculture, Augusto Hernández, visited the emergency water conduction works carried out in the San Isidro area (Tazacorte, La Palma) on Monday. ) to assess that the irrigation work is already in operation and distributing water to the farms that were left incommunicado by the flow.
The councilor stressed that the important thing is that “there is already irrigation, with a first branch connected, and the majority of branches the rest of the week.” She emphasized the commitment of the public administrations in the recovery of the agricultural activity of La Palma and insists that “work continues at a forced march so that the farmers in the areas isolated by the lava flows can have irrigation water as soon as possible. “.
In this sense, Alicia Vanoostende stressed “the effort that is being made, despite the conditions of the terrain and its high temperatures, to solve the problems generated by the volcanic eruption and move forward in order to recover full activity on the island “.
“The primary sector is one of the priority axes throughout the island and, especially, in the development of the Aridane Valley, so no effort will be spared so that it can recover its activity as soon as possible,” he said.
Vanoostende recalled that one of the crops most benefited by the channeling works in the San Isidro area will be banana trees, taking into account that the eruption left a total of 160 fanegas isolated in this area.
The emergency water conduction works carried out in the San Isidro area have a budget of 1.4 million euros, charged to funds from the Ministry of Agriculture. Started up by Gesplan, it will allow the supply of water to the plots dependent on the Argual and Tazacorte Haciendas Estate Irrigation Network and those of the Canal Alto La Cruz Bermeja Irrigation Community, in addition to access to the main pipe that provides service to the Irrigation Community Las Hoyas-El Remo.
The scope of this infrastructure will go further, as it will facilitate access to and replenishment of the irrigation network that will cross the lava between Los Palacios and Las Norias, in order to once again supply irrigation water to the farms located between Las Hoyas and The Rowing.
A COMPLEX PERFORMANCE
Despite the priority that the administrations have given to this work, the complexity of its execution has caused a delay in its execution. The high hardness of the basalt rock layers and the high temperatures, of up to 250ºC, that are recorded when ditches are opened have forced the work to be delayed.
The temperature has also forced the opening of larger trenches in order to insert the pipes into prefabricated concrete tubes one meter in diameter, to create an insulating layer of air.
Another drawback has been marked by the absence of materials adapted to the terrain and its conditions to carry out the action, since special pieces have been required to guarantee the connection of the branches in safe and efficient conditions.
