Mahon has been without drinking water for a year now.

MaóThe water in Maó is still not safe to drink a year after the crisis that erupted following the serious breakdown at the Malbúger plant. The latest analyses released by the opposition confirm this. In May, the networks of Malbúger, Turó, Sant Climent, and Grau-Cala Llonga still showed nitrate concentration levels above 50 milligrams per liter, the maximum limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for considering water drinkable.

"It's a disgrace. The analysis is devastating. All the wells should be closed," unaffiliated councilor Xisco Cardona exploded online. "This is unacceptable. The health of the people of Maó will suffer," he announced. Cardona echoes the criticisms that the PP has also repeatedly leveled. Its spokesperson, Virginia Victori, accuses the mayor of the "negligence" that led to the conflict and the slowness in resolving the problem.

The opposition considers it a "shame"

The municipal government says it has taken steps, although the fruits will not begin to be seen until the fall. What most worries Mayor Héctor Pons now is that there will not be enough water to meet the municipality's growing needs throughout the season. "The goal is not to have to cut off the water, to have enough, even if it's not of good quality," he admits. A campaign was launched a month ago to urge "moderation," especially among large consumers, in the face of a season that the PSOE government predicted would be "complicated." In a letter sent jointly with the service concessionaire (Hidrobal), the City Council warned the population of the serious consequences that excessive spending can entail throughout the summer.

The solution that will make the water drinkable again is still on the way and will take a few months to reach homes. "We can guarantee that by the fall the flow will have stabilized and that by winter we will have drinking water for all of Mahon, but not now," says the mayor. And this is despite the fact that the Health Department authorized the City Council a week ago to launch the new denitrification plant in Sant Climent. The official acceptance of the works will be signed this Thursday, but in order to supply the entire population, it must first be delivered to the Turó reservoir to be mixed and thus dilute the still excessive presence of nitrates in the network. The problem is that the permit to tender and execute the works connecting the Sant Climent plant with the Turó wells has not yet been received.

From San Clemente to Turó

The Malbúger plant has also not been repaired yet. A year after the malfunction was detected, the company lacks the necessary parts and has asked the city council for an extension to complete the necessary work. "The plant won't be back online until after the summer," he adds, adding that it will provide quality water at the end of the legislative term. "Then we'll be able to have good water, even in the summer," he points out.

A summer of restrictions

Last summer—before the Malbúger problem became known—water consumption restrictions were already in effect in Mahón. On August 13, the mayor had to publish an announcement calling for "everyone's involvement" and announcing that watering public spaces would be stopped, pressure on the network would be reduced, and monitoring of the highest-consumption municipal facilities would be increased. Large water users were also warned, and the Port Authority was informed of the need to avoid using water for nautical purposes. The message, addressed to the more than 16,000 Mahón subscribers, urged them not to water between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., to refrain from cleaning cars, boats, terraces, or patios with water, not to fill swimming pools, to check for leaks, and to make good use of domestic water: optimizing toilets and wastebaskets.

This year we haven't reached that point yet, but the mayor warns again: "Right now, in the middle of summer, it's more important to guarantee quantity than quality." Once summer is over, he insists, everything will get back on track.