"We want to swim again at the Pier": Arrels Marines demands to reclaim the Port of Pollença coastline

Palma'We want to swim at the Dock again'. With this slogan, the marine conservation entity Arrels Marines has called for this Sunday, August 23, a recreational action to demand the recovery of the Port de Pollença coastline and to focus on the environmental problems that, as they denounce, have deteriorated the water quality and have driven the local population away from the coast.

The action will begin at 10 a.m. in the beach area of the Voramar promenade and will include a staging titled We can't swim, a human chain along the coast, the reading of demands, raft races, and different beach games. The event is expected to end around 12 p.m.

Arrels Marines argues that the Port de Pollença coastline has lost part of its appeal for public use due to various environmental problems. Among these, the entity points to wastewater spills, excess sediment from artificial beaches, illegal anchoring of boats, intense maritime traffic, and high boat speeds.

It also warns of the proliferation of constructions on the promenade and the modification of the coastline through breakwaters and jetties, elements that, according to the organization, have contributed to altering a space that previously had more natural richness.

A plan to recover the coastline

Beyond the protest, Arrels Marines calls on administrations for a set of measures to reverse this situation. One of the main ones is the creation of a master plan for sewage systems that will put an end to the discharge of wastewater. The entity proposes to progressively renew the network, develop complete plans, and incorporate digital systems to detect breakdowns.

The second major demand focuses on anchoring. The organization calls for an inventory of illegal moorings in the inner bay, cleaning the seabed, and developing a carrying capacity study to determine how many buoys a future regulated anchoring area should have.

It also proposes to review the concession model for public moorings at the Port of Pollença to guarantee access to the sea for small boats and the local population. The entity also requests the launch of a pilot project for the renaturalization of the most degraded areas of the coast, which will study possible solutions for artificial beaches, jetties, and other elements that have modified the waterfront.

Less speed and more control

Another of the measures that Arrels Marines is calling for is to reduce navigation speed to Punta Avançada to less than 10 knots. The organization believes that this limitation should be part of a global planning of coastal uses.

In this regard, it also calls for the elaboration of a municipal ordinance for beaches and more resources to develop outreach and awareness activities, in addition to surveillance and sanctioning tasks. To make all these actions possible, Arrels Marines demands that the necessary financing be guaranteed and proposes to complement public resources with contributions from the Sustainable Tourism Tax.

With Sunday's action, the entity wishes to claim not only the environmental recovery of the coast, but also its community use. “Many people from Pollença have stopped going to swim on the coast of Port de Pollença,” points out the organization, which argues that the situation can be reversed and that the coast can recover biodiversity and once again be a space for daily use by the population.