Tenerife to declare drought emergency as Spain battles with water shortages

Tenerife is planning to declare a water emergency on Friday as reservoirs run low due to ongoing drought.

Some areas of Spain and the Canary Islands are experiencing major drought. President of the Tenerife government Rosa Dávila says it has been one of the “driest winters in recent history” for the island.

Tenerife is set to call the water emergency on Friday following a plenary session. Dávila is confident the initiative will have unanimous support from all political parties as “the people of Tenerife do not see ideological differences in this.”

The island is facing months or possibly years of critical water scarcity, experts say.

Midland areas of Tenerife are experiencing an extreme and prolonged drought with severe water shortages that could continue for months or even years, according to technical reports.

Despite being one of the greener Canary Islands, Tenerife has suffered a critical lack of rain in what should be its wetter winter months - especially in northern areas.

In recent years, rainfall has also decreased by between 15 and 40 per cent. Water evaporation has increased by between 10 and 25 per cent in the island’s agricultural midlands due to higher temperatures.

This January recorded average temperatures of 20.9C making it the hottest on the island for 60 years.

The extreme conditions have forced the local government to take action now in order to guarantee a water supply for the dry summer months.

Local reports say that as of 1 February, reservoirs were at 34.6 per cent capacity compared to 52 per cent at the same time last year.

Dávila said “ensuring the water supply for citizens and for Tenerife’s countryside is an essential issue that cannot have political preferences.”

Vice President Lope Afonso also warned