TV films show Tenerife’s beaches but not its waste water

Von Marlis Zoschke

The Olympics every day from morning till night? That can be very tiring! So the HR’s ‚archived‘ coverage was a nice change of pace. It was lovely to see the little villages – far from the coast. After all, they too have changed for the better in recent years.

The report did not fail to show the beautiful golden-yellow beaches, which did not exist in the past. Most of the beaches were created, and the sand came from Gran Canaria or from the Sahara, according to the report.

Everywhere we looked, there were nothing but flowering meadows set against the ever-impressive landscape. The most beautiful sight, of course, was Masca. There’s a pottery workshop here that produces everyday items using traditional Guanche techniques.

Does Tenerife’s wastewater problem really come as a surprise?

But water is needed for work. And that turns into waste water. Where does it end up in this small village, home to around 100 people? Do they simply let everything that comes in disappear down a crevice in the rock, in the hope that it will somehow end up in the sea?

I admit that it isn’t that easy to dispose of waste water in Masca. But I’m sure there are plenty of ways to find a solution. It’s just that we can’t just talk about it – we need to take action.

I can only shake my head when I read that Tenerife’s president, Rosa Dávila, is surprised that, after a year, nothing has yet changed with the sewerage system in Puerto de la Cruz. If you want to attract millions of tourists to the island every year, then you also have a duty to ensure that people can swim in clean waters and don’t have to watch it all from their sun loungers.

Sewage on Tenerife: No compromises when it comes to health

Even when the beaches are closed, there are always curious people who don’t follow the rules. We have now learnt that, during the Paris Olympics, some athletes fell ill after swimming in the Seine. And they were only in that filthy water for a relatively short time. Tenerife would be unable to cope with the large number of people who would fall ill. After all, the health system is already facing problems.

You shouldn’t always trust the blue flags unconditionally either. I’ve seen for myself how, at Arenas Negras – supposedly one of the most beautiful natural beaches at the time – sewage was being discharged into the sea just 100 metres further on.

Of course, it’s not easy to get everything right all the time. But when it comes to health, there can be no compromises.