Sewage pollution at one of Lanzarote’s most picturesque beaches has seen the tourist hotspot, popular with Brits, given a black flag by environmentalists.
According to the annual report from Ecologistas en Acción, which has been highlighting environmental mismanagement in Spain since 2005, Playa Blanca is one of 48 beaches throughout the country blighted by high levels of pollution.
The report cites “sewage discharges” as the foremost reason for the categorisation.
Despite the beach’s reputation as a serene natural beauty spot, raw sewage has been reported to have been reaching the sea due to failed attempts to block the flow with sandbags.
This year’s slate of black flags were given for a multitude of reasons.
Of the 48, 15 were given for coastal urbanisation affecting public maritime-terrestrial domains, 16 for sewage discharge and poor sanitation, six for chemical, light, and noise pollution, one for damage to historical and cultural heritage, three for marine debris accumulation, three for unjustified port expansions, and four for biodiversity impacts.
Tourism and coastal urbanisation are the main areas of concern for the report’s authors in the Canaries. On 4 May this year Playa Blanca was closed for repairs following the sewage issue.
A red flag was issued and there was restricted access to it during the clean-up at the beach, which is surrounded by hotels, restaurants and nightspots.
The authors stressed the need to tackle issues such as the improper disposal of wet wipes and babies’ nappies, poor sewage treatment, and inadequate oversight of wastewater systems, which are destroying the region’s coastal areas.
Concerns related to tourism are notable given the recent protests that have gripped the Canaries and the Balearics in recent months.
Locals have taken to the streets of popular holiday spots to complain about a variety of issues, chiefly economic and social, but also environmental.
