A new prank causes another residual spill in Puerto del Carmen

A new prank causes another residual spill in Puerto del Carmen

Local authorities, who confirm that the problem has been solved, express their concern about the increasing deterioration of public furniture

October 6 2005 (05:13 WEST)
A new prank causes another residual spill in Puerto del Carmen
A new prank causes another residual spill in Puerto del Carmen

The residual spills that occurred since Monday night due to the breakage of a manhole in the sewage network in the tourist area of Fariones, Puerto del Carmen, ceased this Tuesday late in the evening, after operators of Aguas Filtradas, the company dedicated to sanitation and water purification services, spent more than 12 hours trying to find the cause of the uncontrolled flow.

Several residents as well as the El Guincho Association, Ecologists in Action, alerted lavozdelanzarote.com to the situation, which has already been repeated on previous occasions in the same tourist area, with the consequent discomfort of residents and tourists.

The origin of the breakage of the aforementioned well in the sewage network, near the Aparthotel Fariones Playa, seems to stem from a prank. This is what emerges from the explanations of the mayor of Tías, José Juan Cruz Saavedra, and the head of the Insular Water Company, Inalsa, Mario Pérez, who clarified on Radio Lanzarote early in the morning that the operators had found a concrete block and several pieces of wood inside the broken manhole around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, an obstruction that prevented the water from reaching the pumping station and caused the sewage spills.

"Around half past nine at night, the water was flowing normally. The beach was fenced off simply for safety, but at ten o'clock it was reopened and everything was clean and under control," argued the mayor.

Someone, therefore, forced the lid of the manhole, which are closed because they are located in the middle of the public road. Despite the fact that this seems to have been the origin of this and other fecal spills in Puerto del Carmen and other areas of the Island, it is worth noting at this point that formations such as Alternativa Ciudadana 25 de Mayo have been denouncing these events for years, without finding a response after requesting Inalsa for a meeting between the government group of Tías, Aguas Filtradas, technicians and associations that can contribute something positive to this shameful problem.

From the opposition in Tías, Alternativa Ciudadana requests that some type of action be developed if there is a plan to execute, and that it be made public in case there is time to avoid errors or regrettable unforeseen events.

In his speech, the mayor explained that "Aguas Filtradas had two trucks deployed on the site with which they were taking out the water and taking it to the other station on the Avenida de Las Playas itself".

For his part, the CEO of Inalsa lamented and criticized this type of intentional deterioration of public furniture, denouncing that they attest to a notable discredit not only for the political class, but for all citizens in general, who "are ultimately the ones who are paying for this type of acts," he added.

Mario Pérez recalled that in the other recent breakage of another manhole, in that case in the Costa Papagayo urbanization, the residual spills that forced the sealing of Playa Dorada, in Playa Blanca, came from another similar prank.

"In the end, what the operators found was a large stone wrapped in a towel, which caused a serious obstruction," he said.

In addition, according to the nationalist leader, these acts by "unscrupulous and callous people" have also been happening in some "other urbanizations of Costa Teguise", so the problem is not new and is already starting to raise concerns for more than one.

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