Domínguez: Sand extractions will not be authorized in El Jable contrary to regulations

The Minister of Economy, Industry, Commerce and Self-Employed, Manuel Domínguez, assured this Friday in parliamentary commission that sand extractions will not be authorized in the El Jable quarries, in Lanzarote, if it does not comply with state regulations and if it does not comply with environmental impact studies.

Manuel Domínguez has responded in this way to a question about sand extraction in the El Jable quarries with expired authorizations and extractions without permission made by the deputy of Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC) Yone Caraballo.

Yone Caraballo has stated that in Lanzarote there is a lot of concern about the exploitation of sand in the Las Medianas area, in Teguise, and has added that the scientific community has highlighted the damage it does to the environment.

The Minister has responded that any illegal activity must be stopped immediately, and has added that in the case of El Jable there are authorizations from the 80s, before the change in state regulations.

There are some that do not have authorization and are obliged to regenerate the environment, explained the Minister, who stressed that in Lanzarote there is no illegal extraction at present.

The Canarian government has commissioned Gestur to carry out an inventory of extractive activity in the Canary Islands to check if any correction needs to be made.

Manuel Domínguez has asserted that the Canarian government will not authorize something that does not comply with state regulations, although he considered that it would be necessary to modify some aspects to authorize or not the extractions, and those that do not comply with environmental impact studies will not be allowed either.