The counselor of the Natural Environment and Safety area of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Isabel garcia, has asked the State Government and the Canary Islands for action regarding the different E.coli episodes and oil spills appeared in different points of the coast of the Island. A situation that has led to the closure of different coastal areas and that is “worrying”, for what it considers “essential to prevent contamination”.
This was stated by García, who has personally communicated with both administrations and has sent an official letter addressed to the General Directorate for the Fight against Climate Change and the Environment and the General Directorate of Security and Emergencies, both from the Canarian Executive; to the General Directorate of the Merchant Marine, dependent on the Ministry of Transport, and the Maritime Rescue and Safety Society, in which it requests that “specify what measures could be taken to resolve these events.”
Identification of those responsible
The island councilor, who has also contacted representatives of Congress in order for the matter to reach the Lower House, recalled that “this summer, various stretches of coast, beach and puddles in Tenerife have had to be closed to public use” . To which he added that “from the Cabildo of Tenerife it is considered essential to prevent pollution on the island’s coasts and to carry out permanent monitoring of the sources of risk.”
Therefore, it requests the Government of the Canary Islands “a comprehensive report on the sources that from land may have caused the episodes of E. coli and other pollutants derived from discharges“, As well as the” identification of the responsible entities or persons of these discharges, planned corrective measures and demand for liability for the damages caused by marine pollution by land-sea discharges, legal or illegal ”.
In the same way, the State has asked for a report on the risks and detected episodes of marine pollution, the probable hypotheses of the origin of these polluting discharges for whatever causes, another on how accountability has been held or what controls are in place to avoid pollutants at sea, as well as the provisions for the placement of spill control systems from the ships that cross the Islands and formulas to make the polluter pays principle prevail.
