“I have yet to hear a single politician urging the public to conserve water, even as it becomes scarce for producers everywhere,” expresses Ángela Delgado, president of the Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands (ASAGA). Delgado warns that amidst a water emergency in Tenerife, with a challenging summer on the horizon, tap water “is not an unlimited resource, and there will come a time when it runs dry.”
“We need to start informing citizens that 2.2 million people reside in the Canary Islands, in addition to tourists, and that we cannot afford to continue squandering this vital resource as we have been doing,” she stresses.
Delgado questions how certain town councils in Tenerife can lose up to 60% of the water they manage, with no significant changes occurring over time. “Many are quick to blame avocados and bananas for water consumption, when in reality, the irrigation galleries in Tenerife were constructed by farmers with great care for efficient water use, understanding its scarcity and value. Every drop counts in the fields. However, the scenario changes once that water passes through the meter and into the control of public authorities, where no one seems concerned about a leak running for days on end,” she observes.
Last week, agricultural professional associations expressed their “outrage” at the “alarming” losses detected in public water pipelines in Tenerife, demanding more inspections and an improved network maintenance service as a matter of urgency. Moreover, ASAGA, COAG Canarias, UPA and PALCA reminded that the Tenerife Hydrological Plan emphasises “sobriety, frugality, and efficiency in private water management through water communities.”
Contaminated Soils
Another pressing concern for farmers and ranchers in Tenerife is the quality of irrigation water. “If the situation doesn’t improve, we may have to halt irrigation, meaning we won’t be able to plant crops, especially in areas like Vilaflor, which hosts vital agricultural land in the Canary Islands and is one of the top vineyard regions in the Archipelago. We are witnessing soil contamination due to high salt concentrations (ranging between 1,800 and 2,000 conductivity), particularly over the past year. This condition is detrimental to agriculture,” she highlights.
ASAGA is optimistic that the promised measures by the island’s Councillor of Medio Natural, Blanca Pérez, will be implemented. “He has assured us that high-water levels (referring to the galleries) will be maintained at elevated altitudes and won’t be directed to coastal areas, even for irrigating golf courses,” emphasises Ángela Delgado, who hopes that local councils will mandate the use of desalinated water. “If desalination is claimed to be more cost-effective than water from galleries, then why isn’t the public sector consuming it?” she questions.
Looking ahead to the approaching summer, she acknowledges its severity. “About 50% of the Vilaflor plantations are likely at risk due to water scarcity; the reservoirs should have been filled by now, considering planting occurs in July and August,” she alerts, certain that the repercussions of water shortage will soon impact agriculture and livestock.
Silent Decline
“The demise of the countryside often transpires quietly, either through farm abandonment or retirements without successors. Once production ceases, we will be forced to pay exorbitant prices for imported goods, as there will be no local competition to drive prices down,” cautions the president of the Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands.
