SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Feb. 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Tenerife Island Government is considering the possibility of declaring a water emergency after discovering that water reserves have dropped by more than 30% during the winter, resulting in a decrease in the ponds’ capacity from 70% to 39% by February this year.
This was announced by the president of the Island Government, Rosa Dávila, and the vice president, Lope Afonso, during a press briefing. They revealed that a meeting of all the island water councils will take place next week in conjunction with the Government of the Canary Islands to implement measures to address the water scarcity. Additionally, a special session will be held with the Insular Water Council, Balten, and the Agriculture and Natural Environment departments.
Dávila emphasized that the island is experiencing “the driest and warmest winter in recorded history,” which will have “implications” not only for agriculture but also for the general water supply, making it likely that a declaration of a water emergency will be applicable across various sectors.
She also highlighted the need to assess the legal implications of the declaration in order to undertake emergency measures and attempt to “alleviate” potential issues expected during the upcoming summer.
Dávila stressed that the situation is “critical,” further exacerbated by water network losses of up to 60% in some municipalities. Consequently, a comprehensive plan has been initiated in collaboration with local councils, alongside a series of projects funded by the government amounting to 278 million euros for major water supply, purification, and desalination systems.
Afonso noted that the island is currently facing the “longest continuous drought” in its history, constituting the “most severe situation in the Canary Islands.” He underscored that this has occurred “in the middle of winter” following a “very challenging” year in 2023. As a result, the Island Government has pledged to implement 14 measures to support farmers.
Addressing the delay in approving the emergency declaration, he explained that it is an “exceptional” legal instrument to be utilized only when regular circumstances do not apply, a condition that “needs to be confirmed.” However, he acknowledged the presence of “scientific and technical data” supporting the grounds for such a declaration.
Nevertheless, he clarified that “the water issue is not limited to agricultural irrigation” and could also impact human consumption supplies.
Therefore, he expressed the necessity for a sufficiently comprehensive declaration with a legally adaptable scope for the emergency declaration tool to be effective and free from legal impediments. He emphasized the importance of precision and maximising the declaration’s usefulness.
