Reader asks where tourism money goes while water runs short

Von Marlis Zoschke

When you read about the staggering sums generated by tourism, you’d think the Canary Islands would be rolling in money. So how can it be that this vital water is simply seeping away? And that this apparently doesn’t bother anyone enough?

A fault in the water supply must be rectified immediately. There must have been a drop in water pressure for some time now, or do people simply ignore it when there’s no water? Furthermore, the estimate of 150 litres of water per person per day is simply too generous. In Germany, the figure is 123 litres. And that’s already a great deal.

In southern countries, water scarcity has always been a problem. The situation has not improved in over 50 years. In the past, there were even ‚water shares‘. It is probably not as simple as just building desalination plants all the time. The salt that flows back into the sea as a result could harm fish stocks. So new problems arise.

The Canary Islands, their drinking water and the sewerage system

Sewage is another issue that makes you shake your head. Tenerife supposedly has five sewage treatment works. It would be interesting to see what actually ends up there. There are always a few black sheep who flush anything and everything down the toilet. Most of the time, of course, it’s food scraps. And as there are so many people here who cook for themselves, there are bound to be leftovers.

In industrialised countries, the pipes are flushed more frequently. And rat poison is laid out. This is because faeces and food scraps are a real treat for these cute little creatures.

Unskilled labourers instead of proper training in the Canary Islands?

Of course, tourists are completely unaware of such shortcomings. Meanwhile, politicians announce that the unemployment rate has fallen again – particularly amongst young people. Yet once again, it’s just pocket money being handed out to unskilled labourers in the tourism sector.

Wouldn’t it be better to give young people the chance to learn a trade that will provide them with a livelihood? After all, there are, of course, apprenticeships that allow you to continue your education on the mainland or elsewhere in Europe.

I often meet young people from Tenerife or Mallorca who are grateful for the opportunity to build on their modest skills so that they can have a future on their islands later on. After all, almost all of them want to return at some point.

Mass tourism would be welcome if all the island’s inhabitants could benefit from it. But we are still a long way from that.