The Councilor for Urban Planning and Environment of the Yaiza City Council, José Antonio Rodríguez, clarified to this newsroom that Insular de Aguas de Lanzarote (Inalsa) is not responsible for the pipe through which the treated water discharges that have caused the temporary closure of Playa Dorada came out, and also reiterated that said discharges did not originate from the Princesa Yaiza Hotel either. "The pipe belongs to the Costa Papagayo Urbanization network, which has nothing to do with Inalsa. Therefore, the public company is not to blame," he specified.
Some "joker" who threw a stone into one of the wells
According to the councilor, the responsibility lies with "the Urbanization itself, which is the one that controls that issue." Rodríguez also revealed that the pipe rupture was caused by some "joker" who threw a stone wrapped in a towel into one of the Urbanization's wells, obstructing it, damming the water and causing its subsequent rupture.
The councilor's statements settle the controversy opened between the Yaiza City Council and Inalsa over the responsibility for the discharges, but the City Council's complaint about the alleged illegal collection of invoices by the public company from some residents of Costa Papagayo for "a sanitation service that it does not provide" still floats.
Aside from the controversy, Rodríguez announced that the Health Department's report on the state of the water at Playa Dorada is favorable, so the City Council, pending receipt of the official report in writing, will probably open the beach for swimming during the day today.
Illegal collection of invoices?
The southern City Council asks Inalsa to clarify why it "fraudulently" charges purification and sanitation fees to the residents of Playa Blanca, for a service that it supposedly does not provide. Yaiza sent copies of the invoices of several citizens of Playa Blanca to the media, demonstrating in this way that Inalsa charges the fees destined for water purification and the sewage network.
"Inalsa, the public company dependent on the Cabildo of Lanzarote, has been charging the sanitation and wastewater purification fee to users and residents of Playa Blanca for several years, including residents in the Costa Papagayo Urbanization," says verbatim a press release sent by the City Council. The Yaiza City Council maintains that, if it is true that Inalsa does not provide sanitation services in several urbanizations of Playa Blanca and charges invoices, the public company would be acting illegally.
Inalsa admits a possible error
The CEO of Inalsa, Mario Pérez, did not rule out that the company is mistakenly charging for a service that it does not provide, however, he clarified that in that case Inalsa will correct the mistake, as it has done other times, returning the money to the subscribers. "We will check the list of invoices, and if there are errors we will correct them," Pérez assured.
The councilor advocated that in the future this type of controversy between public administrations should not occur again, "and that we go to a comprehensive sanitation network within the island of Lanzarote." Pérez believes that the confrontation should not be fueled further, but rather ensure the interests of an exceptional tourist destination such as Playa Blanca.
The Councilor for Urban Planning and Environment of Yaiza is also in the same line. Rodríguez maintained that the City Council's concern is the state of the beach while guaranteeing all efforts so that visitors can enjoy it as soon as possible.
Yaiza plans to authorize swimming at Playa Dorada this Thursday
The Yaiza City Council plans to authorize swimming at Playa Dorada, in the south of Lanzarote, throughout this Thursday, September 8, after receiving the official report from the Health area of Lanzarote in which it is indicated that there is no contamination of the waters due to the rupture of a part of the sanitation network in the Costa Papagayo urbanization. The Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Urban Planning and Environment of Yaiza, José Antonio Rodríguez, advanced that the Public Health technicians "have indicated to the City Council by telephone that there is no risk for swimming on this beach and that the official communication will be sent on Thursday."
Finally, the Councilor for Urban Planning and Environment maintained that the Yaiza City Council's concern was "the state of the beach while guaranteeing all efforts so that visitors can enjoy it as soon as possible."
"We have worked intensely since Saturday when the breakdown was recorded, and as a preventive measure, the prohibition of swimming on the beach was decreed. I want to thank the effort and work of the municipal workers who worked intensely this weekend to avoid the discharges," said the councilor.