Be careful where you walk

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

If you are out and about in areas that you are not familiar with please be very careful as there are a number of pitfalls, literally, scattered around our countryside. Some are water collection areas, or wells and they are not always fenced in. A puppy out for its first walk after injections recently fell in one of the water pits shown below, luckily it had a harness on and the owner was able to catch hold and lift it out.  (Its also got me thinking about mossies!)



These 2 near me are fairly visible structures but its not until you get right up to them that you realise there is water in them, and its' quite deep. A lot of the wells are just literally a hole in the ground with no cover at all. Can you imagine what hard work it was to create these in the old days before JCBs?

[Spitfire58]

One can only assume that the words “Health & Safety” have no direct translation into Spanish 

[Johnrgby]

One can only assume that the words “Health & Safety” have no direct translation into Spanish 

  UMMM?  NO!

[Spitfire58]

One can only assume that the words “Health & Safety” have no direct translation into Spanish 

  UMMM?  NO!

[Sam]

It looks like the Council of La Oliva is actually doing something to deal with the wells:



Report from today's Diario de Fuerteventura (Google Translate):

The City Council of La Oliva has proceeded to cover the mouth of an old well located in the area of capital of the municipality, a measure adopted for security reasons after having fenced the perimeter several times and disappear the fencing material after each performance.

Councilman Works and Services, Oliver Gonzalez, explained that "the City has been following for some time the situation of this well" that "has been fenced in several times," but that "being apart always appears some unconscious that takes the material, which again came complaints from neighbours. "

The City Council has proceeded to do the works to cover the mouth of the well, clarifying that it is "a temporary measure to avoid dangerous situations." Wells are assets of ethnographic interest because of their relationship with the culture of water use, so that "the well is not closed, and it will always be possible to restore it and condition it later".

In this well, about forty meters deep, the La Oliva firefighters have intervened in two dog rescues, one a month ago and another one last year. With regard to the last case, the hunting dog that was rescued in early November was treated at the Municipal Kennel by the veterinary services of the Fuerteventura Dog Rescue association, and continues to recover from a broken leg and other injuries.

According to the associations, a group specialized in attending abandoned Canarian podencos in the Islands and Almeria, and which organizes awareness programs with children and accompanying elderly people, has found an adoption family. The dog will travel to Milan in January with its new owners, after declining its previous owner, identified by the microchip, to take charge of the animal.

Responsibility of the owners of the wells

The City Council of La Oliva takes the opportunity to explain that the maintenance of the wells is not municipal competence, but that the owners of the land where they are located are responsible for their safety, as is the case with any other private property.

In the case of this well in particular, the City of La Oliva has acted in the face of the danger situation and it is not clear who owns their property.