SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 16 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has made the choice to cancel all water-related events and festivals in the area following the recent announcement of a water crisis on the island. This decision aims to prioritise the sustainable and responsible use of water during a critical period when water resources are severely impacted by the lack of rainfall in the Canary Islands.
Consequently, various municipal activities that involve water, which were scheduled to happen mainly in Salud-La Salle and Centro-Ifara districts during the summer, such as the kids’ event ‘Enchúmbate’, have been called off.
In light of the water crisis declaration on the island, the City Council has implemented a series of measures to ensure the responsible consumption of drinking water. This includes the development of a protocol comprising three levels that will dictate water usage restrictions based on the available storage capacity in the main reservoirs situated in Southwest, Center-Ifara, and Anaga districts.
The protocol will be activated based on three colour-coded levels, similar to a traffic light system, where green signifies no restrictions, and orange and red indicate varying degrees of restrictions or bans.
Currently, the traffic light is green, implying no restrictions are in place. However, in light of the declared water crisis, the City Council has decided to suspend activities where water is the central component to act responsibly.
Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez stresses the importance of responsibility and aligning council actions with citizen expectations regarding water consumption: “Climate change has placed us in a situation that directly and irreversibly impacts us. We must realise the significance of being responsible with a critical resource like water, which unfortunately is growing scarcer each day.”
On the other hand, Public Services Councillor Carlos Tarife mentioned that any changes in the traffic light status will be duly communicated. “Currently, the lights are operating at 55% capacity, indicating a green level. These measures will be executed with complete transparency,” he added.
The City Council urges citizen cooperation and the engagement of businesses, hotels, and restaurants to ensure a sustainable water usage approach and to adhere to the directives of relevant authorities in this regard.
