Water, a limit that already conditions the growth of El Pla

PalmaThe Pla de Mallorca has no water. The difficulty is structural: the 14 municipalities that make up the region depend mainly on aquifers and, according to the Mancomunitat's water management plan, some are overexploited or in poor chemical condition. The drought is worsening the situation, but the problem has been aggravated by the increase in extractions, irrigation, and urban demand. The Government places the beginning of this progressive deterioration in the second half of the 20th century, when new drilling and pumping techniques allowed for the expansion of irrigation and water consumption grew, which has increased with urban pressure.

"We have been totally discriminated against," said the coordinator of the event, biologist and former Minister of Territory, Gabriel Vicens, during the conclusion of the conference The Pla facing its transformation, an argument also reinforced by Antoni Alorda. The origin of this grievance lies in the extraction from the Marineta aquifer, in Llubí, in the 90s to supply both municipalities of the Pla and municipalities with strong seasonal demand, among which are Calvià and Muro. The tension over the distribution became evident in 1999, when the use of the aquifer to cover the demand of Palma and Calvià clashed with the concern of neighboring municipalities about the risk of salinization.

One of the responses from the Government of the Balearic Islands to this situation is to expand the high-level water network, which transports water to the municipalities so that it can then be incorporated into local networks. The section between Maria de la Salut and Petra is already built and Ariany has been connected to it since August 2025. The Executive proposed it as the first phase of an infrastructure that was to allow for supplying Ariany and Petra, continuing towards Manacor, where it is expected to arrive in 2028 and, later on, reach centers on the Llevant coast.

In parallel, the Mancomunitat del Pla has a project underway to interconnect the supply networks of Sineu, Montuïri, Lloret de Vistalegre, Costitx, and Algaida. This October, the drafting of the executive projects was put out to tender, with a budget of 320,998 euros, financed by the Consell de Mallorca. The initiative also includes a diversion towards Pina. It is a step in the planning, as the project still has to be drafted before the pipelines can be executed.

The Government has also announced 5.4 million euros for hydraulic works in 14 municipalities of the Pla. This package includes technical and efficiency improvements, which can reduce losses and facilitate safer water management, but it does not equate to a new source of supply.

The new pipelines can partially reduce dependence on local wells and improve water quality, but they do not eliminate the need to manage a limited resource exposed to new consumption and structural droughts. As summarized by the president of the Mancomunitat, Joana Maria Pasqual, many villages in the Pla are already "at the limit of available water resources".