The Tenerife Cabildo is set to approve the declaration of a water emergency for the island during the upcoming plenary session on March 1st. This decision is supported by technical reports indicating an extreme and prolonged drought in the midlands, posing a critical risk of water shortages in the upcoming months.
To address this issue collectively, the government group in the Cabildo will present a motion seeking consensus from other political parties. The severity of the drought situation.
Rosa Dávila, the president of the Cabildo, emphasises the need for unity in tackling this issue. She states, “We are currently experiencing one of the driest winters in recent memory. Ensuring water supply for the citizens and the agriculture sector of Tenerife is of utmost importance and should not be politicised.”
Dávila expresses confidence that the initiative will receive unanimous approval, stating, “We are on the brink of making crucial decisions to combat the prevailing drought. The people of Tenerife do not see this as an ideological matter, and it would be unacceptable for political groups to treat it as such. I trust that all responsible parties will support this cause,” as she highlighted in a statement from the Cabildo.
Lope Afonso, the vice president of the Cabildo, stresses the importance of a united approach in dealing with this significant issue. He insists that “we must all work together to address the repercussions of the severe drought on the agricultural sector in Tenerife. Urgent measures need to be taken to mitigate and combat the impacts of this weather situation before the summer arrives.”
This week, the Government of the Canary Islands discussed the ramifications of the water crisis with representatives from all councils in a meeting held in La Gomera. From Tenerife, “we initiated a collaborative meeting with various agricultural organisations to inform them about the technical data under consideration by the Cabildo and our concerns regarding the situation, particularly as we approach the summer months.”
The motion urges the Tenerife Island Water Council to declare a water emergency for the island and assess and implement, in partnership with Balsas de Tenerife (Balten), all necessary actions to ensure water supply for the population and the agricultural sector. It also calls for preventive measures to prevent network losses and promote responsible water usage.
Furthermore, the proposal suggests that the Insular Water Council and the Ministry of Tourism should launch informational campaigns targeting the general public, including tourists and visitors, emphasising the importance of responsible water resource management.
The decision to declare a water emergency is backed by technical information revealing the impacts of warm thermal anomalies and a deficit in rainfall over recent years.
It also includes insights from a Balten report on the current scenario, which highlights an “extreme and prolonged drought in the midlands of Tenerife.”
The documentation indicates that rainfall has decreased across all monitored stations by 15 to 40%, while evapotranspiration has risen, particularly in the midlands, with increases ranging from 10 to 25%. This trend aligns with the rise in average air temperature and heightened solar radiation.
These conditions have led to increased water requirements for crops as precipitation has decreased by approximately 15 to 30%.
As of February 1st, 2024, when a significant portion of the usual rainy season has already passed, the water level in Balten’s reservoirs stands at 34.6% (considerably lower than the same period the previous year, which was at 52%).
The unfolding circumstances jeopardise the continuity of current crops in a substantial part of the island’s agricultural area, particularly in the midlands. Urgent measures, supported by this emergency declaration, are necessary to address these challenges.
The technical data also highlight a critical risk of water shortages in the upcoming months, underscoring the need for immediate action implemented by the Council through a fast and efficient process.
