"The mayor of Palma will have to answer for any disasters that may follow." building in flood-prone areas"With this warning, Neus Truyol, spokesperson for MÉS per Palma in the Palma City Council, criticized the City Council's strategy on Thursday.eliminate prior authorization from the General Directorate of Water Resources of the Government to expedite the granting of building permits.

The Balearic Parliament on Tuesday rejected, thanks to votes against from the PP and Vox parties, a proposal from the left to prohibit the construction and authorization of housing in risk prevention areas, such as flood zones and areas at risk of fire, landslides, and erosion. The bill, promoted by the PSIB, Más per Mallorca, Más per Menorca, and Unidas Podemos, proposes limitations on construction in flood zones, prohibits the conversion of commercial premises into housing in these areas, and also prohibits new construction in priority traffic zones.

36.5% of Campos' population lives in flood-prone areas, the highest percentage in the Balearic Islands, according to data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. Marratxí, with 33%, and Palma, with 18.9%, also far exceed the regional average of 9.5%. In Sóller, the risk is also significant: 15.1% of its inhabitants live in areas susceptible to flooding. In contrast, in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar—where the tragic flash flood of 2018 claimed 13 lives—only 3.6% of residents live in flood-prone areas, while in Ibiza, where the DANA storm of October affected large areas and even forced the expansion of flood zones, the percentage of affected areas was much higher. The figures show that the risk of flooding is concentrated mainly in Mallorca, especially in the Palma conurbation, in the Levante area, where urban sprawl and proximity to torrents increase its vulnerability.