The Garachico Town Hall has ordered the closure of part of the promenade in the neighborhood of La Caleta de Interián due to the collapse of a retaining wall and the risk of new landslides in an area that was limited for months by the appearance of cracks. The strong swell that hit the coast of the town on December 24, ended up weakening about six meters of the wall that separates the promenade from the sea, which has exposed the base of earth and rocks on which this pedestrian space is supported, with the consequent risk of pavement collapsing.
The mayor of Garachico, José Heriberto González (CC), explained that the collapse occurred at dawn on Tuesday, “specifically in a portion of the retaining wall of the eastern area of the La Caleta de Interián promenade”, which is a neighborhood shared by the municipalities of Garachico and Los Silos.
“This section had important cracks in its upper part and sinkholes in the lower part, as a consequence of the erosive effect of the sea, something that has been happening in recent years. Due to this situation, we seal the area immediately due to the danger and We commission a diagnosis and a proposal of possible actions to undertake an engineering study specialist, which was already in charge at the time of solving the problem of the old access ramp to the beach of the pier in the old town “, details the president.
Jose Heriberto Gonzalez details that “this report was presented in the Garachico Town Hall last October and, subsequently, we have held several meetings with those responsible for the Coastal Demarcation in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to analyze the viability of the actions that the technicians propose in the area ”.
After the last collapse, it will be time to «reassess the new situation to calculate what is the approximate budget that we must foresee for, in the year that is going to begin, to replace the wall and solve the problem in that section of the promenade of La Caleta de Interián», Points out González.
The nationalist president has publicly promised to the neighbors to report everything that is going to be carried out in the area “once we have all the necessary information and data” by the technicians and Costas. This information will be shared in a public assembly that the mayor hopes to organize in La Caleta, “as soon as the health situation allows it and if possible, in the month of January.”
While the final solution is being finalized, Jose Heriberto Gonzalez He asks the residents of La Caleta for “tranquility, patience and great caution”, and recalls that “the area has been sealed off and there are signs that indicate that it is not possible to pass along the coast under the affected area.” The passage is prohibited due to the risk of expanding the demolished area, and González asks neighbors and visitors to “respect the indications for the safety of all.”
Sergio Lorenzo, neighbor of the La Caleta area, publicly denounced through the social network Facebook that if this deterioration continues without corrective measures being taken “practically 50 percent of the walk could disappear” due to the erosive action of the sea. “I understand that this does not have an easy solution in the medium term, but it will have to be found, no matter how difficult it may be,” he warned. The mayor himself replied that “work is already underway on the project and on the solution with the demarcation of coasts».
