Bathing is prohibited on the central beach of El Médano since yesterday morning. The measure was adopted by the City Council of Granadilla de Abona “on a provisional basis”, as a consequence of the presence of contamination in the water, verified by detecting the presence of the E.coli bacteria at an index higher than the allowed one, which is 200ufc / 100 per milliliter, as reported by the municipal government.
In an official statement, the Town Hall explained that “the detection of this contamination occurs after the submission of the results of the routine analyzes carried out by the Canary Islands Health Inspection Service.” However, the company awarded the water analysis service in the bathing areas, by the City Council, also took samples early yesterday morning.
The City Council of Granada chose to «close this bathing area as a precaution and in in order to guarantee adequate security levels for the population, pending the results of the pertinent analyzes that are being carried out by the Public Sanitary Inspection Services. At no time was the origin of the E.coli contamination reported in this bathing area of the municipality, something that is recorded with certain periodicity.
In fact, the City Council of Granadilla de Abona is being investigated for an alleged crime against the environment and natural resources for discharging wastewater into the sea without authorization, without treatment or with insufficient treatment, at least since 2017. An assumed fact that creates “a situation of risk to the health of people and the general conditions of ecosystems.” The Court of Instruction Number 2 of Granadilla processes the corresponding preliminary proceedings (opened on October 3, 2019) after the complaint filed by an individual before the Prosecutor’s Office, on June 21, 2018, which transferred its investigation.
The three discharges registered that summer in the area of Montaña Pelada are the fundamental reason for the complaint that gives rise to this procedure (Preliminary Proceedings number 702/2019), for which Councilor Marcos González already appeared before the judge, on September 15 of last year, as an investigated person as he was exercised the responsibility of the Department of General Services. He was assisted by the lawyer Juan José Gómez Neira, hired by the City Council for this through a decree signed by the mayor, José Domingo Regalado, on May 19, 2020.
In 2004, almost 5,000 signatures endorsed a public complaint calling for “effective measures to solve the problem of serious pollution and unhealthy conditions that we have been suffering for years.” Neighbors of El Médano and users of its beaches were those who denounced that for more than 20 years they have suffered pollution of the coastline “due to fecal waters that overflow from the sewers every time it rains in Granadilla or San Isidro.”
The latest episodes of pollution of the beaches of El Médano They were due to the obstruction of the sanitation network by the massive presence of wet wipes, above all, and by alleged acts of vandalism, according to the information made public.
