tenerife volcanic traffic light minister

Tenerife volcanic traffic light not needed, says minister

No volcanic traffic light for Tenerife, minister confirms

The Canary Islands Minister for Territorial Policy, Water, and Emergencies, Manuel Miranda, stated on Thursday that there are currently no scientific circumstances warranting the activation of the volcanic traffic light on the island of Tenerife, despite recurrent seismic swarms to the west of Las Cañadas del Teide. Responding to a question from Vox in a parliamentary committee, he said that no civil protection measures are expected to be adopted on the island in the medium or short term beyond maintaining enhanced surveillance.

La Palma situation remains different

The situation is different on La Palma, he commented, where Pevolca (the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan) remains on alert with the traffic light set to yellow, as gas emissions continue in the areas of Puerto Naos and La Bombilla. He explained that a company is monitoring the sensors, while the University of La Laguna (ULL) and Involcan (the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute) are respectively assessing radon and CO2 emissions. Miranda also defended his department’s transparency in managing information.

Opposition claims information is being withheld

Paula Jover (Vox) accused the minister of hiding information, arguing that the limited data available – in her view – shows that Tenerife is currently in a much more critical situation than La Palma. This claim contradicts statements made on various occasions by both the National Geographic Institute and Involcan, which rule out an eruption in the short to medium term on the island. She commented that on La Palma, the risk is limited to a few small properties in Puerto Naos or La Bombilla, but that this does not justify the island having a yellow traffic light. She even questioned why Tenerife does not have the traffic light, suggesting this allows certain administrative procedures to go ahead.

“There may be multiple meetings, institutional activities that are very important with health workers to properly assess civil protection needs, with responsible public officials, with education, but also with the public. The public demands information; they want reassurance,” she stressed.

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