This Monday, the Cabildo of Tenerife along with the Canarian Federation of Municipalities (FECAM) formalised an agreement aimed at modernising the supply networks and minimising losses across 12 municipalities on the island with fewer than 20,000 residents. This agreement follows the declaration of a water emergency in Tenerife, made seven months ago.
The financial commitment of the agreement totals two million euros, which will equip the participating municipalities with technical and fiscal support needed to implement upgrades that had been previously unfeasible due to financial constraints.
Almost 81,000 individuals are expected to benefit from this initiative, as stated by the president of the Tenerife Cabildo, Rosa Dávila.
The municipalities set to benefit include Buenavista del Norte, Fasnia, Garachico, La Guancha, La Matanza de Acentejo, El Rosario, San Juan de la Rambla, Santa Úrsula, Los Silos, El Tanque, La Victoria de Acentejo, and Vilaflor de Chasna.
The Cabildo of Tenerife will allocate funds to each municipality according to the distribution criteria of the Canary Islands Municipal Financing Fund.
“Since the Tenerife Cabildo proclaimed the water emergency, we recognised that a crucial aspect to address was the enhancement of supply systems and the reduction of losses in municipalities with populations of less than 20,000, many of which manage these services directly,” emphasises Dávila.
The island’s president highlighted that a significant portion of the issue stems from the supply networks, many of which are considered “outdated”. Hence, the less populated municipalities of Tenerife require cross-municipal collaboration to rectify the situation.
The aid provided to municipalities will involve the integration of remote control technologies to effectively identify water losses as well as the installation of flow metres to enhance water usage and minimise leaks.
FECAM’s president, Mari Brito, has underscored the importance of “close collaboration” with the less populated municipalities, particularly during a water emergency. She also emphasised the need for awareness and understanding among municipalities that require support to advance their projects.
“Progress cannot be made without this cooperation and collaboration in something as vital as the provision of potable water in municipalities,” he stated.
Mari Brito expressed her satisfaction with the receipt of this funding, permitting municipalities to replace their pipelines and implement advanced leak detection technologies, as data indicates that “in many cases, losses are exceeding, in some areas, up to 50%.”
“When we say that losses exceed 50% in some areas, we are referring to Icod de los Vinos, where the local council is already taking action,” mentioned Medio Natural councillor Blanca Pérez while discussing the specific measures undertaken by the Insular Water Council in collaboration with the municipality.
Icod de los Vinos has necessitated “special treatment,” as its losses surpassed 50%, reaching even 60%. A tailored plan has been required for the municipality to rectify the situation, according to Rosa Dávila.
Nonetheless, municipalities with a population exceeding 20,000, particularly those managed by companies, achieve levels of around 80 to 90% (of water that is not wasted), which are regarded as “optimal or excellence levels,” he clarified.
In this regard, Pérez has asserted that “a significant portion of what is termed losses are not necessarily losses,” as evidenced by connections to the network. Therefore, “we must employ all available technological systems to more effectively ascertain where the water is going and identify instances of excessive consumption.”
Consequently, the issue of losses and sanitation in Tenerife “is not worse than in other islands,” yet the situation on the island has revealed that, in the past, “it reported what it had,” which now facilitates the declaration of projects of island-wide significance and enables the utilisation of European funds for interventions in sanitation networks.
The aim of the Tenerife Cabildo with this new agreement is to “maintain levels above 80% in water that is not squandered,” ensuring that the water entering the system “is accounted for, billed appropriately, and its destination is clearly understood,” emphasised President Rosa Dávila.
The agreement signed on Monday forms part of the strategy outlined in the water emergency decree, which permits the execution of 75 specific measures to address the water scarcity issue, including 34 urgent projects aimed at enhancing production and distribution.
