El Médano Beach, one of the main tourist attractions in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona in the south of Tenerife, has suffered for several years from pollution that has forced its temporary closure on many occasions. However, Mayor Jennifer Miranda has explained the steps her Council is taking to address this long-standing issue, highlighting the discovery of five discharge points along the coast.
According to Miranda, the councillor for public services, Marcos Antonio, commissioned a coastal audit to identify the source of the pollution affecting water quality in the area. The report, which has been in the hands of the municipality for a month now, reveals that there are five points on the coast of El Médano where wastewater from private buildings is being discharged without permission.
While Miranda has not disclosed the specific buildings or properties responsible for the pollution, she did say that they are very old infrastructures that have already been fully identified as causing the problem and possibly are not connected to the sewage system, or relieve pressure by bypassing the network.
The mayor has assured that they are already taking action to close these discharge points as soon as possible, but have no intention of sanctioning the property owners, as they may not even be aware that they are polluting the sea. Miranda added that their priority is to "close these relief points to stop contaminating the water around the beaches."
Miranda also referred to the construction of the new Granadilla sewage treatment plant that the council have been building for two years but stressed that this plant won’t be enough to stop the problem if they don’t take all necessary actions to prevent discharges. "No matter how well the treatment works, the problem will still be there if we don't close these points," she said.
The mayor described the discovery and potential closure of the discharge points as "fantastic news" and expressed confidence that this would benefit both residents and visitors who enjoy El Médano Beach. "I believe this is fantastic news, not only for those who swim at that beach, including myself with my children but also for families and visitors who may have at some point considered not coming to El Medano due to the contamination of the beach," she declared.
