The ISLHAGUA project, succeeding similar past projects and benefiting from visionary research conducted by the Canarian Technological Institute (ITC) since 1992, has strengthened water resource capacities where such resources are most needed.
- 03 June 2015
The seminars have been very helpful and well organised. I look forward to seeing the implementation of the inter-laboratory communication project in order to share techniques, materials and, of course, help solve future technical problems in a collaborative approach.
Collaboration between various institutions, namely the Canarian Technological Institute, the Institute for Water Resource Management in Cape Verde and Cape Verde University, has resulted in positive outcomes for residents of these two archipelagos.
The aims of the project were to raise public awareness about efficient water consumption, strengthen quality control capacity of water resources, develop the treatment and reuse of treated water, and improve water desalination efficiency together with increasing renewable energy use.
The activities carried out involved the design, elaboration and development of awareness raising campaigns adapted to the local population of the Canary Islands and Cape Verde and the implementation of different tools put into practice via the organisation of inter-comparison circuits between water quality laboratories of the different regions. With regards to the public, social animators were trained in order to conduct active campaigns involving local municipal and educational institutions. Tangible results include more efficient water consumption, an increased knowledge of quality parameters and enhanced capacity to prevent diseases of hydric origin, especially in Cape Verde.
Equipment upgrades and efficiency savings
The main successes of the project include the addition of specific water quality control equipment in Cape Verde, knowledge transfer, the revision and upgrading of analytical techniques and microbiological indicators, in particular with respect to the detection of boron. To this end, more than 160 laboratory technicians from both islands have benefited from tailored seminars for the evaluation and monitoring of water quality. More efficient water consumption by the general public has also been achieved.
In Cape Verde three representative desalination facilities were audited resulting in practical measures put forward for 30 to 50 % energy savings. The Canary Islands has also acted on the published technical report for introducing renewable energy to the southeast sewage works in Gran Canaria, which serves a population of more than 100 000 people.
Overall, twelve full-time positions were created during the implementation of the project and six full-time jobs were created following the completion of the project.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the ISLHAGUA project is EUR 463 680, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 400 128 through the Madeira-Azores-Canarias (MAC) Operational Programme for the 2007-2013 programming period.