Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife

Tenerife Left in the Dark”¦again
Once again much of the island was left without electricity on Wednesday following a fault at the central substation in Candelaria. The metropolitan area and the north were worst affected with the electricity being off for two hours as engineers scratched their heads, fiddled, poked about and eventually sent out to the nearest ferretería for a new fuse.
Think we’re joking? It has been widely reported that the blackout was caused by a short circuit in a switch.

New Tourist website for the South of Tenerife
It’s good to see the south of Tenerife’s rural towns and attractions being promoted following the launch of a new government website CauceSur. The site is designed to encourage Canarian, Spanish and European visitors to explore and experience life along the old Carreterra General del Sur.
It’s an admirable project, but if the Cabildo are seriously hoping to encourage visitors into the area they might want to consider making the website available in a few different languages instead of only Spanish.

Don’t Drink the Water in Granadilla de Abona

Not a good week for the utility companies on Tenerife ““ after the fiasco with the electricity, it was discovered that the water in some parts of Granadilla de Abona was contaminated with Clostridium perfringens, a bacteria which can cause diarrhoea and nausea. The local council came in for flak for not immediately making the problem known to the 10,000 residents who have been affected by the contamination since last Thursday. Residents have now been advised to not drink the water or use it for cooking whilst the problem continued”¦and to stock up on papel higiénico just in case.

Don’t Worry Be Happy in Valle De Guerra
National Police closed down a marijuana farm in Valle De Guerra in La Laguna this week, arresting a 39 year old man on suspicion of committing crimes against public health. It seems an ironic offence considering events elsewhere on Tenerife. The farm was apparently very well organized with a well thought out infrastructure designed to optimize the planting, processing, drying and distribution of the marijuana plants.
Sounds as though, instead of sending him to prison, they should make him head of the water company in Granadilla.

And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to… the authorities responsible for maintenance of the Barranco del Infierno

Barranco del Infierno really is becoming Hell’s Ravine. Closed since 2009, one of Tenerife’s most popular walks looks as though it’s going to remain out of bounds to the public indefinitely.
Following the consequences of the tragic rock fall in Los Gigantes last year, the parties concerned with the maintenance of Hell’s Ravine are worried that if similar was to happen there, they would be held responsible and could face prosecution. Therefore, with a guarantee of 100% safety to users being impossible, the Barranco del Infierno remains shut.

It’s difficult to see how this state of affairs can be resolved until the Chicken Little syndrome dies down. This is nature for God’s sake ““ not a theme park. You can walk anywhere on Tenerife and be exposed to the same risks”¦but then you don’t get charged an entrance fee to enjoy Tenerife’s countryside anywhere else.
Here’s an idea ““ get rid of the entrance fee, put up a notice to say “˜enter Hell’s Ravine at your own risk’ and let people enjoy the Barranco del Infierno without trying to make some dinero out of it.

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