The Balearic Minister for the Sea and the Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, has held a meeting with the Mancomunitat del Pla de Mallorca, councils in the rural heart of the island, to analyse the ‘particularly sensitive and delicate’ situation of the water supply in the area, which is not yet connected to the Autonomous Community’s network and could lead to a declaration of emergency due to drought.
According to Lafuente joint monitoring is being carried out with the municipalities affected to study the current situation and the possibility of applying the aid provided for in the budget, as well as analysing the legal consequences of declaring a water emergency, a decision that could be finalised at a new meeting in the first half of August.
The president of the Mancomunitat, Joana Maria Pascual, warned that Spain and Mallorca are experiencing ‘a very critical situation in terms of water’ and argued that ‘declaring the region in a state of emergency’ would involve severe restrictions such as cancelling garden irrigation and limiting the use of private wells.
Pascual called for structural solutions beyond water trucks, which she described as ‘a stopgap measure’, and insisted that it is necessary to plan investments to improve the network and guarantee supply in the future. The Balearic Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzá, explained that the Balearic government has applied for grants, worth more than 57 million euros from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS tourist tax), to finance improvements and modernisation of water infrastructure in municipalities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants.
‘We are committed to allocating significant resources to resolve this situation,’ said Bauzá, stressing that the investment will enable the renovation of networks, the repair of leaks, the installation of digital control systems and the construction of new reservoirs and wells.
The call for proposals, which is part of the 2024-2025 Annual Plan to Promote Sustainable Tourism, will remain open until 2027 and will subsidise up to 100% of the cost of projects that meet the technical and administrative requirements. The ministry has stressed its willingness to work ‘in coordination’ with local councils to find solutions adapted to the reality of each municipality and mitigate the effects of water scarcity in a context marked by climate change and tourist pressure.