Tenerife's €80m Plan to Tackle Coastal Pollution

Tenerife's authorities have unveiled a substantial €80 million plan aimed at cleaning up the island's coastlines and rectifying its "sanitation deficit." This initiative, developed in collaboration with all municipalities, places a strong emphasis on water and sanitation management.

Vice President Lope Afonso has called for collective action towards achieving "zero waste" on the island. The objective is to enhance Tenerife's image nationally and internationally as an environmentally responsible territory. Councillor Sonia Hernández highlighted the plan's focus on the island's coastline, calling it "ambitious."

If approved by all municipalities, the four-year program will involve significant upgrades to the island's sanitation networks, expected to be completed by 2030. This move comes after years of criticism, including from Ecologistas en Acción's annual "Black Flags" report, which identified issues such as spills, sanitation deficiencies, and wastewater treatment problems on Spanish beaches.

Past reports have specifically cited Playa Jardín in Tenerife for pollution from wastewater discharges and Puertito de Adeje for environmental impacts from a controversial tourism development. These issues have led to beach closures due to health concerns, such as high E. coli levels previously detected at Playa Jardín.