Residents of three emblematic squares in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, specifically Plaza Chona Madera, Plaza de la Libertad, and Plaza Alfredo Kraus, have expressed their outrage and called for urgent action due to the alarming proliferation of rats and cockroaches. The unsanitary situation has reached a critical point, forcing residents, especially those in ground-floor apartments and commercial premises, to keep their doors shut to prevent the animals from entering.
José Francisco Santana, spokesperson for the neighborhood association AVECALTA, described how rodents "roam freely in broad daylight," posing an "obvious risk to public health." The presence of these animals, which is no longer confined to public spaces but is entering homes, has caused deep distress. "We can't open the door to let in air or anything, because they can get inside," lamented Santana, calling the situation a "sanitation and public health" problem exacerbated by the proximity of food stores.
“"We can't open the doors for fear of them entering homes and businesses"
Santana attributes the primary cause of this plague to the "neglect of cleaning" by the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. He points out that gardens are not adequately maintained, palm trees are infested, and trash bins can go days without being emptied, turning the squares into "hotbeds of infection." According to the neighborhood spokesperson, the last fumigation in the area dates back to "almost three years" ago, and was only carried out after a public complaint in a municipal plenary session. The repeated complaints from residents, they claim, have been met with "administrative silence."
Given the municipal inaction, even towards media outlets like Televisión Canaria, residents are threatening to "gather together and, as we did 3 years ago, present ourselves at the town hall and take the complaints there." Santana warns that frustration is so high that he even jokes about registering a rat at the town hall to formally record the complaint. He emphasizes that this problem of neglect "affects many neighborhoods and many small squares," and urges the council to "take action," improve cleaning, and maintain urban furniture.
