SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 22 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Canary Islands Government, Pablo Rodríguez, acknowledged on Tuesday that the container properties set up in La Palma for those impacted by the volcanic eruption “are not suitable” and the administration’s “priority” is to facilitate the relocation of the residents to different accommodations as soon as possible – primarily the 42 refurbished properties in Breña Baja.
In response to a query from Vox during the Parliamentary control session, he remarked that “no Canarian, no human being deserves to reside in inadequate housing”, adding that with the recent rainfall, they experienced water ingress despite the fact that the Canarian Institute for Housing contracted a company for waterproofing improvements, which have only been completed in 42 homes, less than half of the total.
He further stated that they will investigate whether there are “latent defects” from the installation of the residences, as it is “clear” that the design “was not suitable” for the location where they are situated, leading to an assessment of the contract with the contractor to determine if it is possible to “seek some form of accountability.”
Paula Jover (Vox) remarked that the container homes in Los Llanos de Aridane “are an affront to existence” and chastised the previous Canary Government for opting for this model for those affected by the eruption, which cost over five million when there are alternative construction options “that would have enabled the provision of homes of far superior quality within a timeframe of 4 to 6 months.”
The conservative representative believes there is a case to hold the contractor responsible for failing to adhere to the technical building code and habitability standards, and she hopes that solutions will be forthcoming “soon”, similar to the situation with unaccompanied migrant minors.
“Everyone deserves a proper roof over their head and all resources not allocated in the regional budget are being directed towards these unaccompanied minors,” he emphasised.
