“The reclaimed water that is distributed among the farmers of Tenerife meets all the quality standards set by the Ministry of Health for drinking water for consumption.” This was clarified yesterday by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Council of Tenerife, Javier Parrilla, about a reclaimed water whose use is being key for the Island to have freed itself from the drought for now. Parrilla made this clarification after María José Belda, counselor of Sí Podemos Canarias, a party that supports the island government externally, assured on social networks that she is going to request information about the possible presence of heavy metals in these waters that are distributed in the Tenerife countryside.
«The quality standards have been corroborated by the three analyzes requested by Balten [la empresa pública Balsas de Tenerife, del Cabildo] to an independent laboratory, which is certified by Aenor’s quality standards”, Parrilla stresses. The Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (Aenor) is an entity empowered to issue quality certificates in all industrial and service sectors. The counselor of the primary sector detailed through a statement that the samples taken at three different water supply points in the northeast of the island (Tacoronte, La Laguna and Tegueste) “determine that the levels of mercury present are less than 0.2 micrograms per litre. “It is a figure much lower than the maximum limit indicated in the regulations that regulate drinking water for consumption, which sets a maximum limit of 1.0 micrograms per liter. Therefore, our quality requirements go beyond what is legally indicated in the system for the reuse of treated water”, Parrilla makes clear.
“worrisome” levels
In her comment on social networks, María José Belda echoes the complaint of a Tenerife chemist who assures that various analyzes of the water supplied by Baltén, after May 2022, show “worrying” mercury levels. Neither Belda nor the person she links to clarify which analysis they are referring to.
Parrilla answers Belda, in the statement sent yesterday by the Cabildo, that “the reclaimed water from Tenerife has levels of heavy metals so low that they are undetectable and well below the limit for drinking water.” The insular official deeply regrets that “credibility is being given to statements not supported by any evidence and making unfounded statements, in an attempt to generate false news against the reclaimed water that represents the present and future of stability for agriculture in the island of Tenerife.
In the official note, Parrilla is convinced that “the strategy established by the Cabildo de Tenerife to bet on reclaimed and desalinated water will lead the Island to develop with greater energy efficiency, will generate wealth and is a fundamental step towards the circular economy , and for this reason we are extremely careful that these waters comply with all the established sanitary requirements».
Salvation for the Island
Precisely the reclaimed water that is used in the Tenerife countryside has been key for the Island to have avoided the drought for now, while the ponds are at just under half their capacity (45%). Even so, the Cabildo launches an appeal to citizens for prudence and restraint in the use of water supply.
