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(CNN Spanish) - In the middle of a holiday for the Carnival festivities and at the instruction of the Minister of Environment of Ecuador, Raul Ledesma, the environment management of the province of Santa Elena filed a complaint with the State Attorney General on Monday “Crimes against water” against the municipality of Salinas, a canton that is located on the Ecuadorian coast and where one of the busiest beaches in the country is located.
The reason for the complaint was to leave presumably contaminated water to the sea while tourists and bathers were on the beach.
According to the complaint, which was published in the Twitter account of the Minister of Environment, inhabitants of the sector announced "an alleged environmental pollution, by discharge of allegedly contaminated water and with offensive odors, with a gray hue."
"This activity was carried out by the municipality of Salinas, directed by municipal officials, causing chaos to tourists who were in the sector and creating a multicolored spot within the ocean," the letter adds.
Ledesma also published a video that shows the flow of dark water that comes out of a canal and mixes with seawater.
CNN also had access to videos that record the action of dirty water.
Meanwhile, Daniel Cisneros, mayor of Salinas, defended himself on Twitter.
“Before all the disinformation exposed in social networks, for public knowledge, the storm and sanitary sewer systems are independent. Therefore, there is no possibility of joining with contaminated water. ”
Ledesma answered the tweet of Cisneros: “Mr. Mayor is not about drainage systems. The organoleptic characteristics perceived by the population correspond to contaminated water, the origin will be determined with the respective laboratory analysis ”.
The visitors complained about the fact.
In statements obtained by CNN through the local press, Mauricio Paladines said that "it is disrespectful to those who come from other provinces to run into this pollution."
While Joshua Salas also warned that the bad smell is not endured.
According to ECU 911, several coastal cities recorded floods in recent days, including Salinas, where this dirty water outlet to the sea was recorded.
The Institute of Meteorology reported that it has noticed a "considerable rainfall record" and called on citizens to take precautions.