Garachico prepares its bathing areas for the summer

The works to improve the car parks and pedestrian access to the bathing area of ​​La Caleta del Andén will be completed in June, as planned the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo de Tenerife, which are the two administrations that finance this work budgeted at 258,000 euros. The works, which have been underway since October 2021, include the reorganization of the car park and the improvement of the ramp and stairs through which the sea is reached in that area, as well as landscaped areas, small wooden platforms and an esplanade that will form a lookout square. Rainwater drainage is also improved.

The Garachiquense Consistory, with its own funds, has been commissioned, as every year after the winter, to repair and condition El Caletón. The sunbathing areas, the corridors and the steps damaged by the waves have been repaired and, in addition, the necessary stairs have been placed to be able to enjoy these natural pools. We have also proceeded to the placement, cleaning and opening of the Pocoyo Playground.

González recalled that “for some time now there has been some controversy over the total or partial closures that are made in El Caletón during the winter months. I have always tried to explain that the security technicians advise us so and we cannot and should not fail to comply with those warnings, even if there are people who do not fully understand it. The president emphasizes that at many times of the year, the force of the sea turns the pools of El Caletón into a place of risk, for which the Municipality of Garachico is forced to close it.

«The seafront avenue of Garachico and its surroundings are one of the most critical points in the Canary Islands regarding the possible effects of climate change on the tides, according to a recent study presented by the Government of the Canary Islands”, explains the mayor. In his opinion, “the effects of climate change on the tides are already being felt” and he gives as an example what happened just a few days ago: “Years ago the sea rose or caused some damage in El Caletón with tide forecasts based on two meters and some height. But these days, and on other recent occasions, already in the month of June, and with a tide forecast of only 1.3 meters, the sea rose in some parts and even damaged some stairs and the lower part of Caletón had to be closed ».

“Circumstances are changing and we cannot turn our backs on what is happening or what we are warned about. The first thing we should always do is protect people, especially the elderly, minors and visitors who do not know our sea. We cannot put them at risk,” warns José Heriberto González.

Resources and workers have also been assigned to the preparation of Consolation Beach, in El Guincho, where the walls of the entrances and the solarium area have been painted, where a wooden pergola was placed to offer a shaded area. He also intervened in the gardens and green areas of the promenade located under the Plaza de San Andrés, in the center of La Caleta de Interián, shared with the municipality of Los Silos. The Consistory continues with the administrative procedures to contract maintenance and lifeguard services in the municipal swimming pool, with the aim of opening it “before the end of June.”

For the mayor of Garachico It is “great news” that your town has maintained the blue flags since 2018, especially in a year in which the Canary Islands have lost six of these quality distinctions for bathing areas: “In Tenerife there are only eight municipalities that have some blue flag, There are only two who have two, and Garachico is the only one with less than 10,000 inhabitants that has been able to achieve it».