The Socialist Group’s councillor in the Cabildo de Tenerife, Javier Rodríguez Medina, referred to the management of the Water Emergency Declaration on the island, which was declared in March 2024 and has now been extended for an additional eight months, as a “failure” and “ineffective” this Thursday.
The socialists lament that, as of February 2025, only 19,707 cubic metres of water have been added to the water system from a total of 37,152 (53%) that was projected in June 2024, stating that “the water emergency has merely retained its emergency label.”
In his view, “not only do the figures inspire mistrust,” but the situation is compounded by the council facing yet another extension without a manager for the public entity Balsas de Tenerife (Balten), which is crucial for the Corporation’s efforts to tackle the water emergency.
“They have not even called for a competition to fill that position, so we are apprehensive about what lies ahead,” added the councillor.
Rodríguez Medina emphasised “the excellent work performed by the staff of the Insular Water Council of Tenerife, who, regrettably, lack adequate resources.”
He asserted that “one cannot expect the same personnel to manage a significantly larger budget, as that simply will not succeed.”
He reminded that his group endorsed the emergency declaration, although he maintained that “a clash plan with specific works and investments would have been more effective.”
The Socialist Group’s proposal suggested an investment of 65 million euros aimed at providing the agricultural sector with over 40,000 cubic metres of water in a short timeframe, utilising portable desalination units that had been employed in the previous mandate.
