Protest Against Desalination Plant in Tacoronte
Nearly a hundred residents of Mesa del Mar gathered this Monday in front of Tacoronte Town Hall to protest against a project to install a desalination plant in their locality. They oppose the decision due to the potential environmental effects the installation could cause, particularly for the seabed.
Noisy Demonstration During Council Meeting
Despite the rain and it being a working day, locals congregated early in the morning in the town’s Plaza del Cristo with placards, pots and pans, and whistles to make noise. The demonstration took place while a full council meeting was being held inside the town hall.
Environmental and Economic Concerns Raised
The coordinator of the Platform for the Defence of the Tacoronte Coastline, Alfonso Ferrer, stated that residents were not given prior notice of the desalination plant installation through a public consultation process, which is why they decided to organise and demonstrate. “The reasons are mainly environmental. There is a fishing village 50 metres from where they intend to put the desalination plant, and it has been proven that the damage to the aquatic environment would be irreversible, for an economy that is already quite complicated. There have been no meetings to explain the risks or the alternatives, because we believe there are better options,” Ferrer explained.
He added that currently, of the 11 buildings in Mesa del Mar, 10 of them receive water through water galleries. In his view, this demonstrates that the desalination plant “is not a necessity” and will “create discontent among the public.”
Council Pauses Project for Review
In a statement, Tacoronte Town Council has announced the launch of “a process to assess alternatives” to ensure the “water supply for the city” with “greater consensus,” moving away from the guidelines currently championed by the company Teidagua. Consequently, the council has decided to keep the works, which began in early December, on hold until “all necessary reports demonstrating its viability” are obtained and its execution is weighed “against other actions that may be equally effective.”
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