Adargoma Hernández: CAAF Nears Decision on System to Boost Billing, Service, and Incident Management

The councilor Adargoma Hernández announced, in an interview on the program La Voz de Fuerteventura on Radio Insular, that the new integrated CAAF system is about to be awarded. The tender has already been completed and the contract will be presented for award shortly.

He highlighted that the system is an ambitious technological programme that will improve billing, customer service and incident control. It will also enable remote meter reading and faster leak detection.

“It will also allow residents to have an app or some way to monitor their consumption. It’s not a quick fix; it’s an investment that will cost the CAAF more than one million euros a year,” Hernández explained.

The renewal of meters is a key part of the modernization.

“That will also let residents access their consumption data and help us better control possible losses,” he added.

Until now, “we were talking about 50‑60 % losses, which also includes water that passes through broken meters and isn’t recorded,” Hernández noted.

The investment will amount to one million euros per year for the consortium, under a four‑year contract with a possible one‑year extension.

Two Decisive Works Will Change the Situation in the North

The emergency declaration has ended, but works to guarantee water access continue.

“We’re not here to patch things up; we’re here to solve the problems,” the councilor emphasized, acknowledging ongoing issues, especially in the north where many residents suffered cuts and low pressure this summer. Hernández clarified that “the northern issue isn’t a lack of water, but a distribution and pressure problem.”

To reverse this, decisive actions will be taken soon:

• “We will install a dedicated network that runs only from Lajares to Majanicho.”
• The connection between La Oliva and Lajares will be ready shortly.

The most complex project, linking Corralejo with Lajares, will take longer.

“We are waiting for pumps that were supposed to arrive in July, but the factory has told us they likely won’t be here until October,” he said, stressing that these works will represent a ‘before and after’ for the population.

Milestones of the Improvement

The Cabildo decided not to extend the water emergency after evaluating two years of intensive investment.

“The data show we now have the legal and technical solidity to say: we will not extend the emergency,” Hernández explained.

• So far, the corporation has invested €60 million and completed 60 % of the planned works.
• Production increase: “In 2023 we produced around 34,000 m³ per day. Today we are at about 49,000‑50,000 m³, and we still need to bring the Gran Tarajal plant online.”
• Leak reduction: “With the new redistribution at Gran Tarajal, night‑time consumption has dropped about 20 m³, almost 50 %.”

“The integrated system will enable remote meter reading and faster leak detection. It will also let residents have an app to control their consumption. This is not a quick fix; it’s an investment of more than one million euros a year for the CAAF,” Hernández reiterated.

• Storage capacity: “We have added two reservoirs at La Hondura (18,000 m³) and the Guerime reservoir in the south (5,000 m³).”
• Energy cost savings: “In 2023 we were paying about €17 million for electricity. In the last two years we have reduced that to roughly €6 million.”

“We Produce the Water We Consume”

Although the situation has improved markedly, the manager of the Island Water Council, Domingo Montañez, warned that ending the emergency does not mean the problems have disappeared.

“The fact that the emergency is lifted because the risk has vanished does not mean a module won’t break tomorrow, especially when we produce the water we consume on Fuerteventura.”

Montañez stressed the need for long‑term planning:

“We must anticipate infrastructure for future growth with long horizons. We are in the fourth planning cycle (2027‑2033) and already working on measures for the next one.”

He invited island residents to take part in drafting these plans to improve water management collectively.