Engineers warn that the San Lorenzo disaster "could have happened again"

PalmThe catastrophe of San Lorenzo The disaster that occurred eight years ago "could have happened again" because "the works that should mitigate and minimize its impact are still pending," according to Sara Lobato, dean of the Balearic Islands College of Civil Engineers. This represents a "management anomaly," she asserted. This is one of the examples the engineers cited on Monday to illustrate the lack of management and planning tools plaguing the islands' infrastructure due to a lack of consensus among institutions. "Without planning, we cannot speak of strategy," she warned. Along the same lines, the College's vice-dean, Ángel Matías, urged public institutions not to set objectives that must be met within the four years of a legislative term because, in his opinion, "planning instruments extend beyond these four years, leading to a somewhat short-sighted view of the situation." To put an end to this problem, the engineers have proposed a way to "shorten timelines": "the creation of a technical commission that is familiar with the projects from their inception and that is interoperable with the other stakeholders involved in land-use planning." Furthermore, Matías has also suggested seeking consensus through master plans with a duration of between 10 and 20 years.

Prepare for drought

Another issue Lobato raised was the lack of water resources. In this regard, the dean pointed out that it is "a good time" to prepare for future scenarios where this essential resource becomes scarce again. She emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the recent rains, which have alleviated the archipelago's water stress, to develop the construction of three new desalination plants in the eastern areas of Mallorca, Menorca, and the western part of Ibiza. "It is important that we don't focus on the present moment and that we see infrastructure as an element of progress," she stated.

Lack of a Master Plan for Roads

The engineers also complained that they are still waiting for the drafting of the Sectoral Master Plan for Roads, a tool "necessary to have a clear mobility strategy" for Mallorca, according to Lobato. "We know that not having this Plan is more common than we would like, but we cannot fail to insist that planning must be clear and interoperable for the other stakeholders involved in land management," he stated. In this regard, he referred to the works planned for the first section of Palma's second ring road, a project that has been under political debate for almost four years. Regarding rail, he announced that the drafting of new specifications incorporating "very new safety measures" will begin soon, in addition to the construction projects for the Palma-Llucmajor lines and the extension of the metro to Son Espases Hospital. Shortage of engineers

Lobato also referred to the shortage of civil engineers specializing in roads, canals, and ports in the Balearic Islands. "We have 330 registered members and 329 working; there's no unemployment and there's demand," he said. For this reason, he announced that the College is considering proposing to the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) that it offer a degree in Civil Engineering and also a qualifying Master's degree in Civil Engineering.