Mayor Escolástico Gil meets with prison union representative Nacho Fernández, who conveys that protests will continue and an internal audit is requested
Last Thursday, Escolástico Gil, the Mayor of El Rosario, welcomed Nacho Fernández, the representative of prison officials at the Tenerife II facility and coordinator of the union Tu Abandono Me Puede Matar (Tampm), who was accompanied by union representative Pablo Tortajada. The union has initiated a series of demonstrations outside the penitentiary centre due to ongoing water supply restrictions. According to Fernández, protests will persist until the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions resolves a situation that is undermining workers’ dignity and, more critically, could jeopardise their safety.
Furthermore, Fernández announced that they would request an internal audit concerning the status of the prison’s water supply network amid suspicions of “significant water losses indoors.” He explained, “The data we have on the water supply provided by the council does not align with the restrictions imposed on inmates and staff.” He also stated that they would continue to seek meetings with the government subdelegation and other public administrations in the Canary Islands.
Gil expressed concerns about the impact on the prison and the surrounding communities of Llano del Moro and La Esperanza. He commented, “The council has been alerting and working on this issue for years. The problem isn’t the lack of water supply to the prison; rather, it is that the water we provide cannot be stored adequately, as its reservoir lacks sufficient capacity. We are also unaware of the condition of the internal plumbing after 37 years without state intervention to address this problem.”
Nevertheless, Gil reported that the council has made strides to resolve this and currently has a technical project titled “Water Supply and Sanitation Conduits from La Cañada Well to the Tenerife II Penitentiary Centre.” This project is designed to ensure the continuity of supply during peak demand and restrictions, and it has been submitted to the Tenerife Island Water Council (Ciatf) and the island’s Roads Department to gather the necessary sector reports.
In Gil’s opinion, implementing this project will provide a definitive solution to the described issue, as it will establish an independent supply network for the centre, ensuring the required water autonomy and avoiding deficits like those currently experienced. The execution of this project, devised by the council, presents an appropriate means to guarantee the water supply security for the penitentiary.
“From now on,” Gil stated, “we hope to garner support from the State, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the Cabildo to co-finance this project, which will finally resolve a structural issue that is likely to recur every summer.”
Lastly, prison official representative Nacho Fernández warned that “if this situation continues to drag on, I am certain that sooner or later, it will pose significant safety risks within the penitentiary.”
