The Federation of Residents of the City of Palma and groups in El Molinar have called upon mayor José Hila to bring an immediate end to the spills of faecal water at beaches. The residents say that the poor management of water and the town hall’s environmental policy are “ridiculous”.
In addition, they argue that both residents and tourists are worried about swimming every time there is some contamination.
The federation points to the fact that the Can Pere Antoni and Ciutat Jardí beaches have been red-flagged on umpteen occasions because of spills. Miquel Obrador, the federation’s president, says that residents are “more than fed up” that every time there is rain, beaches are closed.
This doesn’t only affect residents in nearby areas, it is an issue for all of Palma’s citizens.
The residents are backing the stance of tour operators, who have demanded that the town hall takes the “necessary measures” to avoid spills.
Obrador highlights the fact that these spills cannot be blamed on a single political party, adding that “all parties” which have run the town hall are to blame to a larger or lesser extent.
Obrador wants resident groups from across the city to put pressure on public authorities to come up with solutions.
“It is necessary that the town hall takes the matter very seriously.”
Businesses as well as residents are demanding solutions, “not just words”.
The mayor of Palma, Jose Hila, has asked Madrid for a meeting with the Minister for Ecology to discuss speeding up the installation of a new sewage treatment plant in Palma in order to stop the beach sewage spills because hoteliers in Palma and the Playa de Palma have also had enough, as reported by the Bulletin last week.
“It’s a disgrace that every time it rains, we have the same old problem, especially in the peak of the summer season.
“We have received scores of complaints from guests and never-ending negative comments. It’s damaging Palma’s image and hampering all our efforts to establish Palma as a leading city destination, there are not many cities in Europe which have a beach just ten minutes walk from the centre and a short distance from scores of first class hotels,” the associations told the mayor in a joint statement.