Recursos de hibricos en Gran Canaria. Presentación Comenius- Turquía 2013

2. We are here

3. In the Canary Islands there is shortage of water due to
the lack of rain. The water is obtained from the inside of
the Earth and little raining.
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the islands where it
does not rain much, because they are the driest and the
less mountainous. The Western islands are greener and
, for that reason, there is more rain production.

4. In the Canary Islands there are no rivers because it rains
very little and the Islands are mountainous. There are
ravines, which are dug into the soil by water streams.
When it rains the water snakes through the ravines at
high speed, from the peaks down to the sea.

5.  With few rivers or sources of fresh water on the islands,
getting clean drinking water has always been a problem.
It can be extracted from mountain springs, and taste
excellent, or provided by desalination plants, in which
case it is not so good.

6. Otherwise, it is the man who digs into the earth to find
water. There are different ways:
 Well: vertical drilling that is done on soil to reach to the
water reservoir.
• Gallery: It is a kind of mine or tunnel dug into the soil to
find water or an aquifer.

7.  In the fields of our islands we can see many ponds.
Farmers store water in them and then use it to
irrigate their lands. The well water is stored in tanks
and dams or reservoirs.

8. Other forms of exploration that are commonly used in
the eastern islands are:
 The “gavias”: orchards located at the bottom of the
ravines which get filled with rainwater that is used for
planting.

9. • The average expenditure per person on the
islands reached 149 liters of water per person per
day, below the national average, which is 167
liters, which puts the Canaries between
communities with lower spending per person.

10. Due to population increasing and aquifer levels
decreasing, it was necessary to search for alternative
methods, artificial ones, to ensure water supply.
These alternative methods are called industrial
water, which come from the depuration of waste
water, sea water desalination and subterranean-water
treatment. The processed water is used for harvest
irrigation and desalinated water is used for home
utilization.

11. There are different ways for water renovation in the
Canaries:
 Sea water desalination: is to spread the sea-water salt.
Getting a proper water quality for agricultural use as
much as for human consumption. All water desalination
processes may include two large groups, depending on
the methods used to separate the salt water:

12.  Distillation systems: Heated water, evaporating it and
then in a new phase condensing water steam.

13.  Wastewater treatment: It consists in cleaning up water
through chemicals products, to achieve a quality that
almost makes it drinkable. Used for
agriculture, irrigation of many parks and gardens, and
golf courses.

14.  Subterranean water treatment: It consists in cleaning up
water that has been extracted from wells and
galleries, whose salt levels has increased.

15.  The water is taken from the deposits to consumers through a
network of distribution. The distribution network is made up of
irrigation channels and pipes. A large amount of water is lost due to
deficiency in the distribution network.
 Counters measure the water passing through them. This
measurement is necessary for the collection of the amounts of water
consumed.