Janet

I've put this in GenTenChat rather than News because it feels more like a discussion than a report, but in the press today is a pretty worrying story about rockfall dangers on Tenerife beaches. Obviously it's very much in people's minds following the Los Gigantes disaster.

It seems that the mayors of the northern Tenerife municipalities have admitted that it is difficult to control rockfalls in any of their areas apart from that of Puerto de la Cruz, which is not backed by sheer cliffs. The problem is so acute, indeed, that in some cases there is not just a lack of security, but the beaches are positively considered dangerous.

This is obviously mainly due to the north Tenerife landscape which is much steeper than the gradual slopes of south Tenerife, and of course, with sheer cliff backdrops that cause the principal danger. The authorities reckon they're hampered by the bureaucratic demands of the department of Costas on the one hand, and by the Greens/Ecologists on the other, who insist that nothing is done that interferes with the natural state of the cliffs ... that nothing is done to make them safe, in other words!

The crux, however, is that despite whatever security measures the mayors take, the public seem intent on disregarding them anyway. The mayor of Los Realejos, for example, says that his Ayuntamiento has taken all necessary security measures to avoid accidents, as well as sectioning off dangerous areas and putting adequate warning notices in place, but beach users still come and camp where they're not allowed at the foot of cliffs ... sometimes tying their tents sometimes to the massive rocks that came down in the previous rockfall!

Where does the blame lie when such areas are not totally closed off to the public, and have either few or no notices about danger or camping bans, but where, on the other hand, a simple glance shows that it is clearly dangerous and the law is widely known even without signs?

JAA

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Periklês

This is just an idiotic statement, because ultimately there is no complete guarantee that rocks will not fall. It sounds remarkably like statements from the mayor of Amity in Jaws.

As for people tying their tents to fallen rocks, I think that this is an implicit acceptance of the risk that more rocks are to follow. Nothing can really be done with people behaving like this.

Perhaps Callao Salvaje beach might be a bit crowded until people forget about it all, in about a fortnight.

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Chuffy

Nature is wild - that's the way it should be, or we might as well pull down paradise and put up a parking lot.

You can't make all cliffs and mountain paths safe.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows the dangers that certain natural elements present. I'm not suggesting the Los Gigantes situation falls into this as it's a resort beach whereas most of the northern beaches aren't and part of their attraction are their rugged locations.

I think it's all getting a bit silly. Tragic accidents happen, but you can't sanitise the world to try to stop them from happening again - I hope.

Next someone will be suggesting we fence off the sea.

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