The real reason for the bad smells in Playa de Mogán PART III
In Playa de Mogán, 21st of August 2017
On 4th August 2017a new law was published to regulate discharges to the sewage system.
The document is composed of 52 articles and several appendices covering the use of the sewage network in the Municipality (county) of Mogán. It is purportedly aimed at controlling discharge, inspections and fines/penalties for offenders.
With this document the Mogán Council appears to indicate its intention of resolving the issue of bad odours and prevent the beach from being polluted again - as happened in May of this year resulting in the closure of Mogán Beach due to a leak of untreated sewage. What it is really doing is attempting to shift the responsibility for the cause and resolution of the problem from itself to local business.
For local business it is clear: it is another excuse. After a long history of bad smells in Playa de Mogán, the council is seeking to avoid the necessary investment in the sanitation network. Revenues received by the council from SEWAGE TAXES (0.54 cents per cubic meter of water used) are not invested in maintaining and improving the sanitation network. Because of the increase in the number of hotel beds (for which Mogán Council is responsible for granting of licenses) the sanitation network needs not only to be improved but also expanded.
No businessman has enough time to read all this paperwork and anyone who tries, will discover that the rules are unclear, ambiguous and impossible to meet. It is not clear, for example, who needs to file a request for discharge. Annex III presents an extensive list of business activities, but the catering sector and hoteliers are not specified and it was precisely this sector that was blamed by Onalia Bueno, Mayor of the Municipality, for the inappropriate discharge of fatty residues into the sanitation network. Those who try to submit the request for discharge approval will find it difficult to complete the form as it contains a series of questions impossible for most people to answer. Most restaurateurs and hoteliers have no knowledge of chemicals and toxicology of spills!
Discover the real reason for the bad smells of Playa de Mogán. TO BE CONTINUED