Mallorca water bills: MÉS targets heavy users

Heavy water users in Mallorca would pay more under plans unveiled by MÉS per Mallorca in Palma on Friday. The party’s ten-point water programme would keep essential household use affordable while making excessive consumption costlier. It also calls for new building growth to depend on proof that enough water is actually available.

Maria Ramon, the MÉS per Mallorca MP who presented the package, said the island must stop losing water already in the system and manage the resources it has more effectively. The proposals cover action by town halls, the island and the Balearic Government.

Higher bills to fund repairs

MÉS wants different water charges for major users and for residential, tourism, commercial and leisure use, while protecting vulnerable households. Large consumers, particularly tourism businesses and other water-intensive activities, would face saving targets, water audits and efficiency plans.

The party says extra income from heavy use should go back into replacing pipes, reusing water, sanitation and restoring underground water reserves. It is seeking a multi-year investment plan, backed by the Balearic Government and the Island Council of Mallorca, to help councils renew pipes, split networks into sections and cut leaks.

The plan also proposes prioritising the worst-performing networks, rolling out remote readings and smart meters, and publishing yearly targets for reducing losses.

Water supply before new growth

MÉS wants to restore and strengthen water-supply assessments for some changes to planning rules. These are reports checking whether there is enough water for a development; some planning changes were exempted from them under the so-called Omnibus Law.

Ramon wants real water availability to become a binding test before any new urban, housing or tourism development. MÉS would also make water capacity a key limit in the Territorial Plan of Mallorca and local planning rules.

The programme calls for wider use of treated water in farming, irrigation, gardens, cleaning, public facilities and industry. It also proposes action to restore overused, salt-affected or polluted underground water reserves, alongside tighter checks on wells and water extraction.

In areas under water stress or with overused underground reserves, MÉS proposes restrictions or moratoriums on new private swimming pools. During droughts, filling pools with mains water could also be limited.

Topics: Flooding · Sea & coast · Agriculture · Environment · Tourism · Politics · Weather · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com