Ecologists In Action have objected to the recent declaration of a water emergency on Lanzarote, claiming that it is not based on scientific evidence and may have been introduced to justify the construction of more desalination plants and sewage works on the island.
The island’s Water Council declared a state of emergency in early December, claiming it would allow them to carry out measures to alleviate the constant water shortages suffered on the island.
However, Ecologists in Action claim that there has been no transparent analysis of the causes of the problem and allege that the declaration of emergency is a tactic to alarm the population and reduce opposition to the building of new water plants. They claim this will be carried out at the expense of ignoring structural problems such as the waste of water, failures of the mains system and the impact of tourism.
The environmental group instead proposes limits on tourism, sustainable water solutions and the exploration of the potential of the Timanfaya aquifer.