That maritime pollution in the Canary Islands has become a problem is a fact that is rarely reported, except when news breaks like yesterday’s, in which the Granadilla de Abona City Council closed the El Médano seafront to the bathroom. , after the analyzes carried out on the water offered levels above those legally established.
And all this for the second time in a week: on Tuesday the municipality was forced to adopt the same decision, this time due to the appearance of brown spots with white foam from microalgae, which also affected Arico. Until Thursday normality was not restored.
However, not even 24 hours had passed when the phenomenon of pollution reappeared, which is not new and which several times in the past has led to the decision to close the beach or beaches to bathing.
In this case, and as reported by the corporation, the analyzes showed abnormally high levels in the central beach. However, and as a precaution, the closure was extended to neighboring Playa Chica and Leocadio Machado.
All this in a month like August, in which thousands of people come to El Médano to enjoy their vacations and days off.
Neighbors and tourists expressed their anger at the fact that it was the Red Cross lifeguards who were in charge of evicting them from the beaches without the presence of the Local Police, while others argued that the area had not been sealed or information signs, but only flags. hoisted reds.
Some surfers, however, continued to practice sports in the sea and there were vacationers who stayed with their chairs on the promenade, fighting the heat with showers.
Municipal sources explained that the lifeguards make up the surveillance and security service for the beaches and that, therefore, it is their responsibility to immediately inform bathers of the situation.
They also assured that, as happened on Tuesday, the priority is to give the information to people to, in parallel, place the necessary seals and the corresponding information, always after removing people from the water, since these they can continue to use the sand because the ban is on bathing.
