The first meeting of the Drought Board, one of the 75 measures accompanying the technical document of the Insular Water Council (CIATF), will be held on Tuesday, the 18th at 16:30 in the Plenary Hall of the Cabildo de Tenerife. This initiative aims to address the water emergency in Tenerife. The meeting will be attended by representatives from all sectors of society and major agricultural organizations. The CIATF General Assembly, held last Monday, approved the establishment of the Drought Board as a collegiate body under the Council. Its purpose is to monitor and disseminate the Declaration of the Water Emergency (DEH) declared on May 29 and the accompanying measures, as well as its operational guidelines.
Monitoring and Information
The President of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, explains that the main objective of the Drought Board is “to monitor, inform, and disseminate to all interested social agents the parameters that have led to the declaration of a water emergency for the island, as well as to monitor the proposed measures.” Dávila highlights the representation “of all sectors of society and major agricultural organizations.” She emphasizes that “Tenerife is taking a step forward because extreme drought is a problem that affects us all, and we seek maximum consensus in the decisions made.” On the other hand, the Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, points out that “the establishment of this body is one of the 75 measures included in the declaration. Next Tuesday, we will have the first meeting to monitor the situation.”
Composition
The Drought Board is comprised of representatives from municipalities, consortia, public companies, public service management entities, concessionaires or holders of water rights, agricultural, business, and trade union organizations, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the Cabildo de Tenerife. It also includes a representative of farmers from each of the following hydraulic areas: Las Cañadas del Teide, Northwest, Valley of La Orotava, Northeast, Anaga, Metropolitan Area, Valley of Güímar, Southeast, and Southwest. Additionally, the managers of the public company Balsas de Tenerife (Balten) and the Insular Water Council of Tenerife are part of the board.
Monthly Meetings
The Drought Board will be convened on a monthly basis for the duration of the water emergency declaration, initially six months, without prejudice to the possibility of holding extraordinary meetings for urgent reasons approved by a majority of the Board itself. Monitoring information will be provided by the technical services of the Insular Water Council represented in this board by the organization’s manager, who, with voice but no vote, may be technically assisted by whoever is considered relevant in case of detailed or specialized measures or information.
