«When you come to a place you love, and then go back, it's not the same.» This comment was made by a woman walking along Cala Tarida beach with her wife and son. In this case, she is referring to the greenish tone of the water, which is far from the idyllic image many of us have of our beaches with crystal-clear, blue water. The proliferation of microalgae in the bay causes this green colour, upsetting tourists and bathers alike and significantly affecting the local shops and restaurants.
These traders claim to be experiencing a summer of losses of «between 50 and 60 percent». As the reason for this crisis, they point to the greenish colour that scares off the locals, and leads them to look for other beaches. Something that for these businesses, which are usually very profitable during the summer season, is even causing losses.
«I have the terrace half full when other years I was doubling shifts to be able to serve everyone», says the owner of one of the restaurants in the area, very indignant about the situation he is experiencing, which also has direct repercussions on the workers.
Those who work day after day in the vicinity of the beach are more than used to hearing the tourists' comments about the greenish hue. «They come and ask you why it is like this, if there is any dumping. You tell them no and explain the situation to them, that it is not dangerous, but even so, it is unpleasant to see», says the manager of one of these businesses.
It's not just the shopkeepers who are angry; the neighbours are too. Through their Neighbourhood Association, they have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current state of Cala Tarida beach.
Microalgae
This green colour that generates so much rejection is caused by the accumulation of a microalgae, which appears during times of maximum heat. It traditionally appeared from July onwards. However, the increasingly high sea temperature, which in June recorded averages of up to 4.7 degrees Celsius above normal in the Mediterranean, has caused these microalgae to appear earlier, from almost the first days of June.
The complaints from neighbours and shopkeepers come precisely because they consider that this situation could have been avoided. The proliferation of these microalgae is not in itself what bothers them as, although this year they have been somewhat earlier, they appear every summer. The problem arises because, in order to avoid these images, through the private initiative of the businesses, pumps were installed some time ago to facilitate the recirculation of the water, thus avoiding the stagnation of these microalgae and the high water temperatures.
This initiative was taken on by the Sant Josep council three years ago, which put it out to public tender. Until this year, everything had worked as expected, and the pumps began to operate on June 1st.
This year, however, the situation has been very different. As of July 3rd, Sant Josep Town Council has still not been able to install these pumps, which has led to these greenish tones.
Sin comentarios
Para comentar es necesario estar registrado en Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera
De momento no hay comentarios.