Manuel Miranda highlights coordination with island councils to plan upcoming water projects

Manuel Miranda, the Canary Islands Government’s Minister for Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water, today highlighted the importance of coordinating with the seven island councils to plan and carry out the water projects the archipelago needs.

“Water management requires coordination between all administrations. The Canary Islands Government is working with the seven island councils to understand their needs, set priorities and plan projects as far ahead as possible,” Miranda said after the twenty-seventh Permanent Water Meeting, held on Thursday at the Agüimes Fairground in Gran Canaria.

The venue was chosen because the Canagua y Energía fair is taking place there. Miguel Hidalgo, Minister for Water at Gran Canaria Island Council, hosted the meeting. He praised the gatherings, saying that “a great many projects on each of the islands are brought to the table, as well as the introduction of new regulations”. The island minister also said the regularity of the meetings was a sign of “the good relationship and coordination between all the island councils in the archipelago”.

One of the issues discussed was the status of subsidies for the integrated water cycle, funded with €20 million from the state. The regional minister said he expected this year’s allocation to arrive before the end of 2026, allowing investment planning to continue.

“We hope this year’s €20 million will arrive before the end of the financial year. In the meantime, we are working with the island councils to plan the next projects and prepare the work that could be funded through the next allocation, scheduled for 2027,” Miranda said.

The meeting also reviewed the state of water-resource and flood planning, as well as plans for projects next year. Miranda stressed the need to maintain a shared approach that would allow the priorities of each island to be coordinated and outstanding infrastructure projects to move forward.

The ARCA project was presented at the meeting. It uses early-warning technologies to improve flood forecasting in the Canary Islands’ Areas of Significant Potential Flood Risk (ARPSI). Developed within the Fuerteventura Technology Park, the project aims to strengthen prevention and improve the ability to anticipate episodes of heavy rainfall.

By analysing images captured by satellite and uncrewed aircraft, the system can detect changes in ravines and other areas at risk of flooding, including changes in soil types and/or the presence of vegetation.

The island councils and the Canary Islands Government also discussed the need to develop a common strategy for sewerage, wastewater treatment and discharges, to coordinate work and guide priorities in these areas. They also discussed the status of the process to adopt the Integrated Regulation on the Hydraulic Public Domain of the Canary Islands.

The Permanent Water Meeting provides a forum for coordination and monitoring between the Canary Islands Government and the island councils, allowing them to share information, assess each territory’s needs and plan water-management projects across the archipelago.