Icod Woman Sues Council Over Three Years Without Water

Mercedes F., a resident of Icod de los Vinos, has sued her local City Council. She claims she's been without water in her home for three years, even though she legally owns the property and pays her taxes. This issue, which highlights problems between city planning rules and basic services, led her to file a lawsuit on May 7, 2024, at a court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Mercedes bought her home in the Suliman building three years ago. She had no trouble getting electricity connected. In fact, a 2006 report from the City Council said most of the 34 homes in the building had no legal issues getting services, except for two. But when Mercedes tried to get water from the public company Icodemsa, she faced many problems. Even though she was told water, being a basic need, would be installed easily, she only had electricity when she moved in.

Mercedes was told she couldn't get water because her home doesn't have a 'certificate of occupancy' and is supposedly 'out of compliance' with building rules. However, she points out a clear contradiction: all the other homes in her building, which is about 20 years old, do have water. None of these homes have a certificate of occupancy either, as it was denied to the builder for not following city planning rules. Mercedes also states that her apartment's previous owners, and those of the apartment upstairs (both repossessed at the time), had water. The other repossessed apartment in the building, sold last year, also has water now.

Mercedes has given Icodemsa all the documents they asked for: her property deeds, a certificate for her home's internal plumbing, proof of waste collection service, a copy of her national ID, her property tax receipt, and a report about the water connection point. Her last formal request for water was on July 25, 2023. She hasn't received any information about what documents other residents submitted to get their water connected.

This lack of water has made daily life extremely difficult for Mercedes, who has a recognized disability of 67%. Simple tasks like flushing the toilet, washing dishes, showering, or cooking are a constant struggle, and she often relies on family and friends for help.

Over the past three years, Mercedes has tried to find a solution with the local council. The previous mayor, Francis González, told her a 'social report' might help, but the process stalled until he left office in 2023. She then met twice with the current mayor, Javier Sierra, who told her he couldn't do anything without the certificate of occupancy.

The ruling political parties (Alternativa Icodense-PSOE) have refused to comment on the case, saying they need to protect Mercedes's personal information. Mayor Sierra has stressed that the council has 'never made a decision against a technical report' and that all their actions follow these guidelines. However, Mercedes argues that even though she pays property tax, waste collection fees, and electricity bills, and her home is legally owned and registered, she still doesn't have essential water service.