The preservation of the landscape assets of southern Gran Canaria is progressing towards water digitalization in a context of persistent scarcity of public water supply resources. The specialized consultancy Agroislas has completed the technical and economic design of the new irrigation network for the Maspalomas Palm Grove, a critical piece of vegetation located in the heart of the tourist area of San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
The agricultural engineering project defines the guidelines to replace traditional methods of flooding or manual watering with a highly efficient underground system, guaranteeing the necessary flow for both the survival of the centuries-old Phoenix canariensis specimens and the development of the future botanical plantations planned for the park.
The technical intervention is being carried out in one of the coastal areas with the highest evaporation and lowest rainfall in the archipelago, factors that necessitate strict monitoring of every cubic meter of reclaimed water allocated for ornamental maintenance. Agroislas' planning optimizes the economic variables of operation by integrating some of the existing pipelines and hydraulic infrastructure in the area, minimizing the need for aggressive earthworks that would alter the landscape of a protected environment of high ecological value and tourist appeal for the adjacent accommodation complexes.
The Agroislas project specifications include the deployment of an automated irrigation network structured into independent sectors, a configuration that allows for programming the timing and volume of water application according to the specific physiological needs of each plant group. The entire landscaped area will be managed using drip irrigation technology with integrated pressure-compensating emitters, preventing losses due to surface runoff and the proliferation of weeds in the Oasis's pedestrian walkways.
The management of the hydraulic complex will revolve around a newly built centralized irrigation control building that will house the distribution manifolds, the disc filtration systems for treated water, the pressure pumps, and the cycle control computers. This technological hub will automate the opening and closing of the solenoid valves at night, eliminating the impact of evaporation from wind or daytime sunlight and facilitating maintenance work by municipal crews without interfering with public use of the Palmeral.
The prior conditioning of the substrate is another critical variable addressed in the project's technical report. Agroislas engineers have incorporated guidelines for decompaction and preparation of the soil surrounding the palm groves, breaking up the surface salt crusts common in the lower elevations of the Maspalomas coastline to promote root aeration and proper nutrient infiltration. The adopted technical solution slows soil degradation processes and provides the palm grove with greater resilience to high summer temperatures.
The completion of this executive design puts the local administration in a position to tender essential works to certify the environmental sustainability of the green spaces in the southern tourist belt. The modernization of the Palmeral Oasis serves as a benchmark for future public landscaping projects in areas of high anthropogenic pressure on Gran Canaria, demonstrating the feasibility of combining precision hydraulic engineering with the maintenance of the island's mature urban ecosystems.
