Lanzarote has always been an island that is felt with all five senses. But lately, the sense that most alerts us that something is wrong is smell. It is no longer the clean scent of the Atlantic or the freshness of saltpeter that greets us as we approach the shore; now, in too many parts of our coast, what dominates is a heavy, sweetish stench. It is the smell of neglect. The island has become an environmental mess where sewage spills run rampant before the passive gaze of those who should prevent it
What is happening in this 2025 is not an accident, it is the result of decades of looking the other way. Lanzarote's coastline is dotted with "black spots" where control is nonexistent. We are no longer just talking about the capital, Arrecife, where El Reducto beach has become the symbol of this crisis with recurring closures due to the presence of fecal bacteria. The problem is spreading like an oil slick across the island's geography.
From obsolete outfalls in the Playa Blanca area to silent leaks around Puerto del Carmen, the lack of control is total. There are dozens of dumping points on the island that are not even authorized or, if they are, do not comply with minimum purification regulations. We are releasing improperly treated water into the sea, laden with waste that destroys the marine ecosystem and endangers the health of bathers.
Lanzarote's sanitation infrastructure is at its limit. We have an old pipe network, pumping stations that fail every time there's a pressure surge, and treatment plants that simply can't handle any more. We've seen tons of solid waste clog a system that was already insufficient for the island's population and tourism growth.It is estimated that a very high proportion of the wastewater we generate ends up in the sea without adequate treatment. In other words, we are treating our ocean as if it were an infinite landfill, trusting that the currents will carry away what we don't want to see… But the sea (contrary) has a memory, and now it is returning the dirt to us in the form of contaminated shores and bad smells
The most outrageous thing about this situation is the impunity. Europe continues to fine Spain for the mistreatment of water in the Canary Islands, and Lanzarote is one of the key pieces on that map of shame. It seems that for our institutions, it is more convenient to pay millionaire fines with public money than to carry out the urgent works that sanitation requires. It is a management of patches: a beach is closed when pollution levels are dangerous, we wait for the current to clean the area, and it is reopened until the next outburst.
Lanzarote can no longer boast of being a "Biosphere Reserve" while its core is broken. We cannot sell a paradise of virgin nature if the air on our beaches becomes unbreathable. The lack of control is killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, but above all, it is robbing the people of Lanzarote of the right to enjoy their own sea
If there isn't a real investment in a modern sewage system and if every discharge point isn't strictly monitored, the damage will be irreversible. It's time to demand that our beaches smell again like they always did: of salt, of life, and of pride, and not of the neglect of a system that has lost its way…
