The Deputy Government Representative in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Jesús Javier Plata, visited the Town Hall of El Rosario on Thursday to discuss the problematic water supply situation at the Tenerife II prison. During the meeting, he expressed his “concern” about the potential impact on both the prison and the residents of the nearby areas of Llano del Moro and La Esperanza.
For his part, the Mayor, Escolástico Gil, informed him, as he has been advocating for years, that this situation recurs “every summer.” He thanked the Deputy Representative for his interest in seeking solutions, according to a statement issued by the Town Hall.
He explained that Llano del Moro and La Esperanza “have suffered for 37 years” the consequences of “placing” a prison in an agricultural area, which, combined with the island’s water crisis, the increasing population in areas like Llano del Moro, and the “unsustainable” consumption of 270,000 litres of water daily by almost 1,000 inmates and 400 staff, makes water supply problems “a constant issue.”
Additionally, the Mayor detailed that the demands to address the prison’s supply issues have been acknowledged for some time by up to three ministers and the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions, “without them having risen to the occasion” before a “supportive” municipality like El Rosario.
“El Rosario does not deserve this treatment, and its residents should not have to suffer the collateral damage of the poor planning of a critical state infrastructure like a prison,” he warned.
In fact, the Mayor emphasised that the Penitentiary Institutions have “neither fulfilled the improvements in water storage at the prison to increase its capacity, nor have they carried out works on the supply network that could alleviate this significant problem.”
In this regard, the Mayor informed Jesús Javier Plata about the Town Council’s decision to commission a project for a direct water supply network to the prison, independent of that of the surrounding population, which would resolve the situation.
On another note, Escolástico Gil communicated to the Deputy Representative the request from the union representatives of the Tenerife II prison staff to understand the municipal stance on this matter, as they currently only have the information provided by the Penitentiary Institutions.
