Laurence Dollimore
AN ongoing drought on the holiday island of Tenerife has forced the local government to bring in emergency water restrictions for more than 5,000 people.
La Guancha, in the north of the island, yesterday announced tap water must not be used for personal use until further notice.
That includes for drinking, preparing food, watering plants or cleaning the house.
The move has sparked anti-tourism sentiment online, as holiday resorts in the south remain unaffected by the lack of rainfall over the past year.
One user on X wrote sarcastically next to a string of clapping emojis: “More golf courses, more tourists, more swimming pools, more showers, and more commissions for CLAVIJO (president of the Canary Islands) and all who follow him.”
Another questioned why towns in the south filled with holiday resorts, such as Adeje, are not facing restrictions ‘when they produce so much waste’.
Tenerife has a population of around 948,000 but welcomes more than five million tourists each year.
Campaigners are increasingly demanding more controls on visitor numbers, claiming they are placing a serious strain on the island’s resources.
The holiday destination has been one of the leaders of the growing protests against the impact of excessive tourism across Spain.
In a statement on Friday, La Guancha city council said: “From now until further notice, the consumption of tap water is restricted for the entire population, both for drinking and cooking and for food preparation.
“The limitation affects the entire population and is due to the fact that from today, untreated water will enter the municipal tanks, which causes the safety thresholds established by the regulators to not be met.
“According to the mayor, ‘as a result of the lack of rain in recent months and a disproportionate increase in the demand for water, there has been a further reduction in the levels of municipal tanks’.”
It added: “With the restriction imposed, the La Guancha Town Council aims to guarantee the supply of water for the carrying out of domestic tasks and personal hygiene, avoiding a greater problem for the population in general.
“It has been decided to stop the desalination process of part of the water that enters the tanks to facilitate the incorporation of ‘raw water’ and, in this way, quickly recover the appropriate levels in all municipal storage spaces.”
