Alert level for Es Pla: Who saves water — and who pays the price?

Alert level in Es Pla: Who pays the price?

Early in the morning the Plaça in Sineu is filled with the same dry heat as yesterday — only the conversations are a bit more serious. The Balearic government has declared the alert level for Es Pla, and on the MA-15 you can hear not only the buzzing of cicadas but also the quiet crackle of worried discussions: Who should cut back now, and what are the consequences for land and people?

The situation in numbers — and what it means for you

The island reservoirs fell to around 43 percent in July, and almost 88 percent of the Balearic Islands are on a pre-warning level. Locally this hits places like Algaida, Sineu and Petra directly. Concretely this means: irrigation restrictions, room for bans on refilling pools and stricter controls — measures already being felt in rural areas. A farmer on the MA-15 told me over an espresso today that his almond trees have only been receiving drip irrigation for days — not out of thrift, but because there is nothing else left. This trend is reported in When the reservoirs shrink: How Mallorca's water shortage affects Palma and the villages.

The key question: Who shoulders the burden?

The discussion often remains one-dimensional: everyone should save. But a harder question is at stake: Should private households, agriculture or the tourist infrastructure primarily reduce their consumption? On Mallorca different interests collide — island residents, livestock keepers, large farmers and the sector that needs water for hotels, golf courses and pools during the high season, a problem discussed in Water scarcity in Mallorca: Why hotels must now take responsibility. Without clear prioritization social tensions and inefficient measures arise.

Underexposed aspects

Less attention is paid to the fact that a considerable share of the loss is not due to consumption but to infrastructure: leaks in old pipes, missing or inaccurate meters, illegal connections. The role of wastewater as a resource is also discussed too rarely. Around the fields of Es Pla there are already experiments to use treated water for irrigation — an idea with great potential that should be better supported politically and financially.

Concrete measures — pragmatic and local

The alert level requires short-term restrictions, but we also need medium- and long-term answers. What helps immediately:

- Set priorities: Drinking water supply comes first. Sports fields and decorative pools have lower priority than households and crops during drought.

- Find and fix leaks: Investing in pipe rehabilitation and smart meters pays off quickly — every repaired leak saves liters that would otherwise be irretrievably lost.

- Increase use of treated wastewater: Clearer regulations and financial incentives for using treated water in agriculture and parks would reduce pressure on drinking water reserves.

- Promote efficient irrigation: Subsidies for drip systems, training for farmers and mandatory upgrades for commercial installations.

- Clear communication of rules: Municipalities should not only use SMS and notices but publish transparent prioritization plans — who is allowed how much, and why?

Long-term questions — and a sober look at desalination

Desalination is often the quick answer: water from the sea is reliable, but expensive and energy-intensive. If the island increasingly relies on desalination, it must be paired with renewable energy, fair tariffs and clear social arrangements — so that poorer households do not bear the costs while hotel chains continue to fill pools unabated.

What you can do today

At the everyday level the steps are simple and effective: collect rainwater, water plants in the evening, run dishwashers and washing machines only when full, wash cars less often. Report leaks to your town hall (Ajuntament) and follow local information — notices are already posted in Sineu, and other towns are sending SMS messages or posting in community groups. Similar measures have been used in Deià, where rationing has been reported in Drought Alert in Deià: Luxury Without Water — A Village Between Tourism and Drought.

Conclusion — a critical but solution-oriented view

The alert level for Es Pla is more than a prohibition sign by the roadside. It is a wake-up call: Mallorca needs clear priorities, technical investments and policies that cushion short-term hardships socially. Otherwise the feeling may arise that the burden is distributed arbitrarily — the farmer on the MA-15 gets drip irrigation while the tourist gets a full pool. A fair, intelligent plan can prevent both. We remain on site, listen to the farmers, count the cicadas and continue to report — so that decisions become transparent and are not discussed only at the plaza.