More than three years after the eruption of the La Palma volcano, dozens of families are still housed in modular homes that were installed on the island to temporarily house those who had lost everything. Time passes, the lava cools, the gases disperse and normality gradually gains ground on the island, which is still recovering from the aftermath of Tajogaite. However, the living conditions of these families, more than 80, far from improving, have worsened over time, since the modular homes have suffered significant wear and tear over this time and the majority of them now present “unworthy” conditions.
This was recognized this Tuesday by the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, Pablo Rodríguez (Canarian Coalition), who added that the “priority” of the Executive is to undertake the transfer of its tenants to other homes as soon as possible. possible (mainly those of the 42 rehabilitated homes in Breña Baja).
In response to a question from Vox in the control session of the plenary session of Parliament, he specified that “no Canarian, no human being deserves to be in substandard housing”, and that in addition, with the recent rains they suffered water leaks given that although the Canary Institute The Housing Department hired a company for the waterproofing improvement service, so far it has only been done in 42 homes, less than half.
Rodríguez has said that they will also analyze whether there are “hidden defects” during the installation of the homes because it is “evident” that the design “was not appropriate” for the area in which they are installed, in such a way that Evaluates the contract with the contractor to see if it is possible to “demand some type of responsibility.”
Paula Jover (Vox) has commented that the container homes of Los Llanos de Aridane “are a waste of life” and has disgraced the previous Canary Islands Government for choosing this model for those affected by the eruption and that it cost more than five million when, according to her, There are other construction projects “that would have allowed homes with much better quality to be put into operation within a period of 4 or 6 months.”
The representative stated that there is room to hold the contractor accountable because the technical building code and habitability conditions have not been complied with and she hopes that solutions will arrive “soon,” as is the case with migrant minors (it should be noted that the response of the Canarian Government to the saturation of the reception centers for migrant minors, which are under its jurisdiction, has been to install tents on the docks of Lanzarote and El Hierro).
“Everyone has a very decent roof over their heads and all the resources that are not allocated to the regional budget are being allocated to these unaccompanied minors,” he noted.
“Obvious design problems”
The situation of these modular homes has reached the parliamentary debate after last week the director of the Canary Islands Housing Institute (Icavi), Antonio Ortega, stated that the container-type modular houses installed in Los Llanos de Aridane for those affected by The eruption of the Tajogaite volcano presented “obvious design problems.”
Ortega explained that these defects have come to light over the last year, especially after the rains that have affected the western region of La Palma, which has forced Icavi to carry out numerous interventions to correct them.
Among the actions carried out, the 85 toilets in the homes had to be tiled, since the original panels, guaranteed to prevent humidity, did not fulfill their function.
In addition, leaks have been detected in the joints of the structures, so 47 of the 85 homes have been waterproofed to solve the leaks, Ortega explained.
Another problem identified, he continued, is the seepage of water under the doors due to the inadequate quality of the flooring, which has required its replacement on several of the floors.
Ortega pointed out that these works represent a considerable added cost, adding that, although he does not know the total cost because the arrangements are being carried out, “these are not minor contracts.”
The director also compared the performance of the container houses with the other type of modular housing installed on La Palma after the eruption of the volcano, the wooden houses, which “have worked much better” although they are not free of problems either.
Ortega explained that because the homes were built under an emergency contract, without clear requirements or guarantees, Icavi has been forced to directly manage and pay for the maintenance and repairs of the homes.
According to the director of Icavi, despite the claims made to the construction company, the company has indicated that the claim periods ended after the first year, and has refused to assume responsibility.
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