The most polluted beaches to avoid in Spain this summer

With summer in full swing, Spanish environmental organisation Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action), which comprises over 300 local environmental groups has released a list of the country’s 48 most polluted beaches. According to the report, Spanish beaches are facing a multitude of pollution challenges, including chemical pollution, marine waste, over-development and sewage discharges.

“One of the biggest problems we are facing is the ‘touristification’ and urbanisation of our coast and this is a problem that especially affects the Canary Islands. The ecological footprint of the Canary Islands corresponds to that of a territory 27 times larger. In other words we need a territory 27 times larger to satisfy all the demands of the economic model and development of the archipelago”, a spokesperson of Ecologistas en Acción said.

The Canary Islands in particular are facing yet another set of challenges. Sewage discharges and chemical pollution are to be blamed for most of the damage. “In Tenerife 57 million litres of wastewater are discharged directly into the sea every day, equivalent to 17 olympic swimming pools of polluted water. Dreadful news for the entirety of the archipelago, as all eight Canary Islands suffer the same problem. Outlets located underwater are releasing harmful waste every day of the year. Disturbingly, over 90 per cent of wastewater from urban, industrial and agricultural centres is emptied almost untreated directly into the sea”, the report reads.

The campaign group is partly blaming the Spanish government for the terrible state of the beaches, which, according to them, is caused by a “suicidal race” to boost tourism and to reach record visitor numbers. Some of the most famous beaches in the list include the La Tejita beach in Tenerife and the Playa Blanca beach in Lanzarote.

The report comes a little over a year after the decision by Spain’s Balearic Islands to introduce 28 smoke-free beaches, an initiative supported by the Directorate General of Public Health and Participation in order to create healthier and cleaner beach environments.