Residents and tourists on the eastern coast of Pollença Bay have been suffering from an intense smell of faeces during the nights for weeks, which they attribute to the local treatment plant or decomposing algae.
A persistent and nauseating stench, similar to human excrement, is ruining the nights for residents and holidaymakers on the eastern coast of Pollença Bay. The complaint is unanimous: the smell appears when the wind blows from a certain direction and is unbearable, especially on terraces with sea views, where many tourists pay real fortunes to stay.
The treatment plant, the main suspect
On the beach, explanations are varied and often scatological. Some local matrons, during their happy bathing hour, point directly to the Pollença treatment plant as the culprit of the nocturnal “perfume.” Others point to the waters of s'Albufereta, whose decay, exacerbated by high temperatures, could be generating the foul aroma.
However, sources close to the Pollença council deny that the treatment plant discharges into the protected wetland area. According to these sources, the discharge takes place in the Sant Jordi stream, and the treated water does not reach the sea, except in winter, when the stream carries flow. “Not on those harsh pre-canonical days,” they specify.
Other hypotheses: algae and private treatment plants
Another possibility considered by residents is that the smell comes from a private treatment plant of a hotel in the area. However, this theory seems unlikely, as the hotel guests themselves would have protested immediately. There is also speculation about the rotten algae that accumulate along the coasts of Alcúdia, Muro, Santa Margalida, and Artà. Authorities remove these algae in hotel areas, but not along the entire coast.
“What if it were the rotten algae?” the affected residents wonder. The question is not trivial, as there are many holiday rental homes in the indicated coastal stretch whose tenants pay fortunes to enjoy the bay. At night, they like to relax on their terrace, gazing at the starry sky and the lights of the Port of Pollença, but the “aromatic” stench drives them away without mercy.
A problem with no solution in sight
For now, the exact origin of the odours remains a mystery. Local authorities have not officially commented, and residents fear that no one will do anything about it. Meanwhile, tourists who pay high prices to stay on the waterfront are faced with an olfactory experience that has nothing to do with the promised paradise.
“Something is rotting in the most beautiful bay in Mallorca,” states a local chronicler. And until the origin of the smell is clarified, those affected will have to continue holding their noses or, literally, closing the shutters.
