Junio 2003
ATAN
 La Laguna |
Versión española
Photo 1: Jardina, La Laguna. Messy development: roads without pavements; telephone and power cables all over the place; and tacky houses built anywhere (and anyhow). A red cement mixer can just be seen at the base of the electricity pole (centre middle ground). The humble mixer has done more to destroy Tenerife than anything else.
Photo 2: This house pipes its waste water straight into the gully. Although it is unlikely to be sewage, it is waste nonetheless. The pipe comes out just below what appears to be a bathroom window - the chances are that the effluent contains nitrates, bleach, and a lot more besides. Tenerife relies on underground aquifers for its water. These reserves are already vastly over-exploited. Inadequate waste disposal further threatens the island's water supply and hence Tenerife's whole future.
Photo 3: Leaning reinforced concrete wall at Jardina.
Photo 4: The latest kind of Canary Islands dwelling. A balcony runs round the first floor, while the ground floor houses a large garage. The place looks as if it is built for an extended family. The number of cars parked outside suggests that the inhabitants own several vehicles apiece. If so, it provides yet another example of unsustainable development in Tenerife - a small island overrun with cars and with few natural resources. Urban Development Go to...
The house shows curious taste - golden aluminium windows and trimmings and pillar-box red garage doors, making the place stick out like a sore thumb. This is La Laguna, World Heritage Site.