The association Agua para La Palma has submitted objections against the addendum to the Túnel de Trasvase re-drilling project, warning of "serious technical deficiencies". They propose constructing new hydraulic closures as an alternative to the proposed wall.
The Association Agua para La Palma has focused on the addendum to the Túnel de Trasvase re-drilling project, a key infrastructure for water supply on the island. The group, backed by a report from engineer Carlos Soler Liceras, former director of the project, warns that the solution proposed for the Aduares entrance in Mazo is technically unfeasible and dangerous.
An undefined wall that worries experts
The addendum, drafted by the company Adriale and promoted by the Insular Water Council of La Palma (CIALP), includes the construction of a wall to seal water leaks in the gallery. However, according to the objections, the project does not specify either the technical characteristics of the wall or its exact location, which, in the opinion of the complainants, invalidates the document from a technical and administrative standpoint.
Soler's report, which oversaw the tunnel from 1996 to 2000, considers it "more than doubtful" that the wall can fulfil its function and warns that if the work fails, "the risk of losing human and material assets is high". The association reminds that the tunnel, built with public funds to transfer water from east to west, has become two galleries that have been vital for supply over the last two decades.
Hydraulic closures: the effective alternative
In contrast to CIALP's proposal, Agua para La Palma and Soler advocate a proven solution: constructing new hydraulic closures or dams at both entrances of the tunnel, at the dikes indicated by the original project management. This technology, already successfully applied in galleries in La Gomera and El Hierro, would allow for controlling leaks that have remained unresolved for 20 years.
The group emphasises that these hydraulic closures, in addition to being safer, would allow for regulating water extraction according to demand, preventing excess flows from being dumped into ravines. "CIALP itself has acknowledged their usefulness for the sustainable management of underground water resources, yet continues to neglect them in its policies," laments the association.
Lack of documents and unjustified emergency
The objections also denounce that the addendum lacks plans, specifications, and price lists, essential documents in any hydraulic project. Although the declaration of emergency due to drought in 2021 may have initially justified these shortcomings, the association believes it is no longer valid after two years with precipitation levels above the average of the last 86 years.
Agua para La Palma attributes these deficiencies to the fact that the work is entrusted "to individuals without sufficient academic training and experience in underground water work". "Sadly, we are already accustomed in La Palma to public funds being wasted on poorly designed projects without guarantees," they criticise.
The association also rejects the drilling of a parallel gallery at the Hermosilla entrance in El Paso, a project already awarded but which, they claim, continues to make no progress. They warn that the new gallery "will leave the original empty and without any control over the flows", which would exacerbate losses.
For the group, the overall solution involves prioritising hydraulic dams in all the galleries on the island, a measure that would allow for more efficient and sustainable water management, a resource that is becoming increasingly scarce in the Canary Islands. Meanwhile, the residents of La Palma continue to see water escaping through the cracks of an infrastructure that, if well managed, could guarantee supply for more than half the island.
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