Works to repair damages caused in the coastal area by the high tide recorded during the early morning and afternoon of April 10 are being carried out by Arico. The cost of the actions amounts to 517,697 Euros, which are being invested in six operations carried out in the towns of Abades, Las Arenas, La Jaca, Las Maretas, Porís de Abona, Las Eras and La Caleta.
These are replacement works, with Abades costing 120,693 Euros and the most significant expenditure being in Las Arenas, with a budget of 295,988 Euros. The remaining four interventions on this list require a much lower investment: in La Jaca, the works have a budget of 23,389 Euros; in the case of Las Maretas, the works require an investment of 23,148 Euros; Las Eras and La Caleta have 14,376 Euros, while in El Porís de Abona, an amount of 39,741 Euros is needed to repair the damages.
There are nuances to consider in these works, as explained by the municipal government led by Olivia Delgado. The mayor points out that in the cases of the projects for Las Arenas and Abades, where the works are already contracted and in progress, they have been classified as emergencies. The mayor emphasizes that for their execution, “the corresponding authorizations” issued by the Directorate General of the Coast and the Sea “in accordance with the technical reports” are available.
In the cases of La Jaca, Las Maretas, El Porís de Abona, Las Eras and La Caleta, the damages caused by the sea “have been assessed as urgent”. As a result, the necessary works to repair the damages are subject to a bidding process, as established by the Public Sector Contracts Law. In these cases, the resolution of Coastal Authorities authorizing the works is also on record, although the Arico City Council is required to process the concession of domain in parallel, as this procedure was never carried out in the municipality.
The 517,697 Euros, which is the total for the different actions required by the plan to repair the damages caused by the high tide almost two months ago, are included in a budget modification which, amounting to 859,221 Euros – including other items – was left on the table during the last plenary session held by the Ariquero City Council. Although the principal comptroller approved the entire process, the substitute comptroller did not, as highlighted by CC. The mayor acted cautiously and decided to gather additional reports to ensure the legality of this budget modification.
