The La Orotava City Council announced on the afternoon of this Thursday, December 30, 2021, a new closure of Bollullo beach by rockslides. The history of last summer is repeated, when the collapses in the cliff where the access path is located forced it to be closed for two months, while protective mesh was installed and the damage caused by falling large stones was repaired. This cove is the most visited in La Orotava, it is located in the protected agricultural area of The corner and, in addition, it is the only one that can be enjoyed in the municipality in the winter months.
The Villero Government (CC) issued a statement in which it reported that “these days there have been new landslides on the slope of Bollullo beach, affecting the access path. For this reason, the mayor, Francisco Linares (CC), ensures that “the respective technical inspections have been carried out, and after evaluating them, as of this December 30, and until further notice, access to this beach is closed. The nationalist president insists that “the priority is the safety of the users.”
“The priority is the safety of the users”
“These days large rocks have fallen in an area where there is no protection, so they fell on the path,” warns the government group. Linares recalls that «a few months ago, specifically last july, there has already been a major landslide in the area, forcing the beach to close for a few months to act urgently on the slope by placing a mesh and reinforcing the affected area ”.
However, the action ordered by the emergency route did not contemplate a comprehensive action on the cliff, “so now, and as intended, it will be necessary to place the protection along the entire slope.” Linares indicates that «in the next days of january Budgets will be requested from specialized companies to carry out these works, and to be able to condition the entire slope, and open access when we can guarantee the safety of users.
Next weekIn January 2022, municipal technicians “will study in greater detail the situation of the cliff and the measures that will be necessary to adopt so that the Bollullo beach is open again.” Given the experience of last summer, it seems unlikely that the beach will be able to reopen anytime soon. If the times of the last closing are repeated, it could be available to bathers from March.
The previous closure began with the fall of several rocks on July 2. After a first inspection of the area, the technicians of the La Orotava City Council They recommended the closure and declared the emergency of the works to secure the cliff. The Municipal Government Group (CC) has highlighted that the start of the works took place “just 48 hours after” the closing, despite the fact that it was necessary to have a specialized company.
Nine year road without Los Patos beach, the closure of the Bollullo already generated much concern among users in summer, who feared that closures could be repeated as long as those caused by similar problems in the real Socorro beach, which was closed for almost 10 months in 2010, or in the beach of La Arena, in Tacoronte. The most feared example was that of Santo Domingo beach, in the municipality of La Guancha, closed due to the risk of landslides since 2009 and still pending work to secure the slopes that have not been completed almost 13 years later. The uncertainty returns to a municipality that once again has two of its three beaches with the accesses closed for works.
The long wait for Los Patos
The work on the access stairway to Los Patos beach, closed since 2013, has been “about to resume” for months, but the El Rincón Consortium, which is the entity in charge of its management, has not been able to unblock it. After approving the payment of pending invoices and a compensation of 50,000 euros to the winning company, it was said that it would be resumed in summer, but 2021 ends and continues to stop
