Tenerife Cabildo councillor for water, Jesús Morales, has asked the public to use water responsibly and to avoid excessive use. Sr Morales said that saving even a few litres a day will make all the difference in the long run. The current drought affecting the island is being noticed, mainly, in the agriculture sector, and Sr Morales stressed that public supplies are prioritized and not under threat – not least because Tenerife gets 84% of its water from subterranean sources. None the less, he insisted, increasing public awareness of responsible use contributes to the best water management.   ... Read more...

A 27-year-old man was rescued by helicopter after falling from a balcony in the Las Barandas complex in Callao Salvaje shortly after 10pm last night. The complex can just be seen on top of the cliff at the right of the above photo (thanks to Nova Howard). The man received multiple but thankfully minor injuries, and after being flown to the Adeje bomberos helipad, was transferred by ambulance to Hospitén Sur.

Update 27 July: Latest figures for the second quarter of 2012 show unemployment figures rising in a dozen autonomous regions, the Canaries among them. The rise in these islands was of a further 2.32%,  says the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), bringing the Canaries unemployment rate to 33.14%.

Update 4 June: And it has risen again, with May seeing a further 4,476 people out of work in these islands. Throughout Spain there was an average fall in unemployment of 0.63%, the figure representing a drop in all but in two regions: Extremadura and here, where we have a rise of 1.55%. There are now 293,228 unemployed in the Canaries, figures which represent an extra 38,887 people out of work in the last 12 months, an increase of 15.29%, almost three points above the national average  rise.   ... Read more...

A 55-year-old man is in Hospital this morning after having to jump in a barranco to avoid being run over by a car just before 11pm last night. The incident occurred at Los Menores, just outside Adeje on the TF-82 to Guía de Isora. After being rescued by bomberos, the man was found to be in cardiac arrest, and after being resuscitated and stabilized at the scene, he was transferred in critical condition to Candelaria hospital, where he remains in a serious condition.

Arona and Adeje have agreed to create a project for the transformation of their touristic areas as planned in the draft ley de Renovación y Cualificación del Gobierno de Canarias, a document which is planned for approval this coming December. The President of Ashotel, Jorge Marichal , said it is “fundamental”, because the commitment to improvement is the best calling card to attract tourists.

Some, because of the demands of the market, have already brought forward changes, and have had no choice but to invest to avoid becoming obsolete. Such is the case with the director of Playa Olid, Mariano García, who has renovated 60% of the apartments at a cost of some €3 million over the past two years in adapting communal areas, refurbishments, and incorporating innovations to attract visitors.   ... Read more...

I’ve added HERE another property for sale direct from the owner, a 2 bedroom apartment in Costa del Silencio. It really is at a bargain price. Please just let me know if you’re interested and I’ll put you in contact with the vendor.

The Canaries had 691,568 foreign visistors in June, up 4.8% higher than June last year. The result is, in fact, the best June for the last decade, and Tenerife is what is pulling them in, and above all, it is the British who are coming, 297,755 of them. This is 29,000 more than a year ago, up 11%. There were also 173,114 from Germany, 27,700 more than June 2911, while the numbers of mainland Spanish visitors to the islands were down.

Update 23 July: At last the alert for heatwave is deactivated. Temperatures for today are expected to be up to a maximin of 27º. What a relief!

Original post 14 July:  Aemet has issued a yellow alert for temperatures up to 34º in Tenerife tomorrow Sunday and up to 36º on Monday. On both days the alert is from 11am to 6pm.  The Monday alert is at orange level in Gran Canaria for temperatures up to 38º.

A 45-year-old bather died just after 1pm this afternoon at Playa de La Tejita in El Médano. Emergency services were called out with reports that a man had been pulled from the water after suffering a heart attack and that lifeguards were attempting to resuscitate him. Sadly, despite the arrival of an SUC helicopter, paramedics were unable to do anything for him and he was confirmed dead at the scene.

Emergency services are currently searching for a windsurfer who has disappeared from the Arico coast. The search was activated at 13.21pm. I’ll post more information as and when it becomes available.