Daily, a staggering volume of wastewater–equivalent to 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools–is being released into the waters surrounding the Canary Islands. With a total of 400 discharge points scattered across the islands, a mere quarter of these operations are lawful. The rapid influx of tourists and a growing population over the past few decades have not been accompanied by adequate wastewater treatment infrastructure–most of the time, the discharge is untreated or only lightly treated before being channeled into the sea, sometimes through unauthorized means. Efforts to install cutting-edge purification facilities are underway but the situation remains dire. Our team visited Tenerife, a favored tourist destination, to investigate the issue. The report by Armelle Exposito, Victoria David, and Sarah Morris sheds light on this distressing environmental concern.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/focus/20250314-nightmare-in-paradise-canary-islands-face-wastewater-crisis