Tacoronte Halts Mesa del Mar Desalination Plant Over Missing Permits
Tacoronte City Council has suspended work on Teideagua's portable desalination plant in Mesa del Mar, a project aimed at alleviating the island's water crisis, due to the absence of required permits and reports.
The Tacoronte City Council has told Teideagua, the company building a portable desalination plant in Mesa del Mar, that they need to show the proper permits to continue work. This plant is part of a larger plan by the Tenerife Island Council to tackle the water crisis affecting local farming. Similar projects are also planned for Fonsalía (Guía de Isora), Valle de Güímar, Valle de La Orotava, and Granadilla.
According to Tarsis Morales, the Councilor for Urban Planning, the City Council met with Teideagua after local residents complained. Company representatives explained the project: it involves drilling two wells to see if there's enough water, then installing a small desalination plant inside an existing water tunnel, along with a well to absorb the treated water.
After reviewing Teideagua's documents from the meeting, the City Council concluded that several specific reports were required to ensure the project could go ahead properly.
Morales stated that when Teideagua realized they lacked these reports, they stopped work. They will only restart once they get the necessary permits. The City Council has also started an initial investigation to look into the impact of putting this desalination plant in the coastal area.
However, Nueva Canarias (NC), the main opposition party, claims that the local government (made up of PSOE, CC, and PP) only decided to act after their spokesperson, José Daniel Díaz, asked for information about the project.
Díaz stated in a note that it was confirmed the exploratory drilling was done without permission, and the desalination plant work also lacked the proper authorizations, which quickly led to it being stopped. He added that the company didn't follow the rules for using a public area, acting as if they had a "blank check."
"There are no specific reports from the Island Water Council, no reports from the General Directorate of Coasts, and no environmental impact reports," Díaz stressed, blaming the ruling parties entirely.