The Government will subsidize water to towns that demonstrate supply problems.
The Executive wants to launch a line of subsidies before the end of the year so that the towns of the Mancomunitat can face the additional costs of having to buy water to supply Porreres, Algaida and, above all, Montuïri.
The regional government will not modify the aquifer situation parameters of the demand units, in this case the Plan, to declare the emergency situation by municipality rather than by demand unit. This way, the regional government could justify paying the Mancomunidad for truckloads of water, which cost more than €500,000 each year. On the other hand, the Regional Ministry of the Sea and the Water Cycle has committed to launching a subsidy before the end of the year so that the Mancomunidad's towns can meet the additional costs of purchasing water to supply Porreres, Algaida, and, above all, Montuïri.
In this regard, it is worth remembering that at a meeting held at the end of July, the Mancomunidad del Plan (Plan Community) tabled the option of declaring a municipal emergency, as the situation in the region does not affect all the towns in the Pla Demand Unit (DU) equally, because where there are the most problems, there are others.
The other towns in the Plan DU are: Ariany, Maria, Petra, Sant Joan, and Vilafranca. Santa Margalida is also located, but it is not part of the Mancomunidad Pla. The entire demand unit is the only one in the Balearic Islands that is on drought alert.
On the other hand, Llubí, Lloret, Sineu, Sencelles, Santa Eugenia, and Costitx, that is, the towns located further northeast, belong to other demand units, which are on pre-alert due to drought.
The president of the Mancomunidad (Regional Community of Pla de Mallorca), Joana Maria Pascual, explained this Monday upon leaving a meeting with the Government that the commitment has been to "release a line of subsidies to alleviate the extra costs of water supply, as would be the case in Montuïri and Porreres."
Likewise, the Government will also "study the possibility of the Regional Ministry assuming the drafting of the interconnection project from the Sineu reservoir to the other municipalities."
The Mancomunidad Pla de Mallorca (Regional Community of Pla de Mallorca) has announced that in today's meeting with the Government they shared "strategies and proposals to address the water supply challenges faced by some municipalities in the region." In the meeting with political and technical leaders from the Regional Ministry of the Sea and the Water Cycle, "the will to work in a coordinated manner to find short- and long-term solutions was demonstrated."
A protocol
Pascual points out that"What we want is to work together to ensure that all the towns of the Pla have guaranteed water, today and in the future," and for that reason, "we propose to the Government of the Balearic Islands the signing of an agreement or a protocol that specifies the Government's commitments to carry out the interconnection in the next legislatures."
Restrictions
Since the drought alert was declared, the Mancomunidad (Community of Man) has launched a regional awareness campaign to promote water conservation under the slogan "Every drop counts in El Pla."
Likewise, the town councils of Porreres, Algaida, and Ariany have published decrees establishing a series of prohibitions on non-essential consumption, such as filling swimming pools, watering gardens and terraces, and cleaning cars.
Other municipalities have not yet decided whether to publish the decree and are awaiting today's meeting. However, most have issued social media communications urging responsible water consumption.