The Algaida council unanimously approved a motion from the PSOE for the Mallorca Council to use reclaimed water for the maintenance of the Ma-15. The Town Hall warns that the municipality's aquifers are under pressure and that the concessionary company has already warned of potential supply problems.
The Algaida Town Hall has taken a step forward in defending its water resources. This Tuesday, the municipal plenary unanimously approved a motion from the socialist group demanding that the Mallorca Council stop using water from the municipality's aquifers for maintenance and cleaning tasks on the Manacor road (Ma-15). The proposal, defended by Mayor Marga Fullana, urges the island institution to resort to reclaimed water for these tasks.
The socialist mayor was clear in her speech: "If we ask citizens, as well as farmers and ranchers, to use water carefully, it is evident that administrations must also use it responsibly." Fullana reminded that the current context, marked by a lack of rainfall, rising temperatures, and increasing pressure on water resources, demands responsible management from all public administrations.
The dependence on aquifers in the Pla de Mallorca
The motion highlights a reality affecting several municipalities in the island's interior: the towns of the Pla de Mallorca depend almost exclusively on aquifers to ensure the supply of the population. Unlike other areas of Mallorca, they do not have a connection to the high network of ABAQUA, which considerably limits alternatives in situations of scarcity.
In the case of Algaida, the situation is particularly delicate. The concessionary company of the municipal water service has recently alerted the Town Hall to the need for constant monitoring of the state of the wells and municipal tanks to ensure supply during the months of highest consumption. The governing team believes that, in this context, it cannot be allowed for the Council to use drinking water to irrigate the ditches and green areas of the motorway.
Three extraction points under scrutiny
The Town Hall is aware of the existence of three water extraction points used by the Roads Department of the Mallorca Council along the Manacor road corridor. These points are located in the municipalities of Algaida, Montuïri, and Vilafranca de Bonany, and are intended for the maintenance of the road network and the green areas linked to this infrastructure.
The case that concerns the council the most is the extraction point located on the Manacor road, within the municipality of Algaida. According to municipal sources, this facility has even required external water supplies via tanker trucks to ensure its availability. A fact that the governing team considers incompatible with the water situation facing the municipality.
For this reason, the Town Hall demands that the Council carry out maintenance and cleaning tasks on the road using reclaimed water from treatment plants or other alternative sources that can relieve pressure on the aquifers. The motion also requests that instructions be given to the concessionary company responsible for maintaining the Ma-15 to review its water consumption criteria.
A change of model for green areas
The proposal goes beyond a simple change of water source. The Algaida Town Hall proposes that the island institution rethink the irrigation and maintenance of green areas associated with the roads of Mallorca. Specifically, it suggests prioritising species adapted to the Mediterranean climate and with low water needs, as well as reducing those irrigations that are not strictly necessary.
Mayor Fullana insists that the almost exclusive dependence on aquifers to ensure the supply of the population, both in Algaida and in the entire Pla de Mallorca, requires immediate measures. "We cannot continue using drinking water to irrigate the ditches while farmers are forced to reduce their irrigation," she stated.
The motion, unanimously approved, represents a first step for the Mallorca Council to take action. Now, the ball is in the court of the island institution, which must respond to the request from the Algaida Town Hall and, in doing so, set an example in the management of an increasingly scarce resource on the island. Meanwhile, the residents of Algaida will closely follow the evolution of this conflict, which raises a key issue for the future of the Pla de Mallorca: who has priority over water and how it is distributed.
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