More than seven days without water: Inca families demand answers from Ibavi

More than seven days without water: Inca families ask how this could happen

When the tap runs dry, you only notice how present water is in everyday life. In a residential complex in Inca, managed by the Balearic housing authority Ibavi, 54 households were left without normal tap water for more than a week. The images are familiar: a water tanker, buckets in queues, evening phone calls asking relatives if one can quickly come over to shower. The central question remains: Why does this keep happening, and who is responsible for ensuring such outages do not become the norm?

How the supply was improvised

Residents describe the scene vividly — the hum of the tanker as it turns into the courtyard, the clink of plastic bottles, voices gathering at the back of the building. The tanker helped, no question. But water from a truck does not replace a stable household connection: quantities were limited, distribution uneven, and queues formed. Some families had to stay overnight with relatives in Sineu or with neighbors, a situation echoed in Deià, where drinking water is shut off three days a week, because showering, cooking or washing baby clothes was otherwise impossible. Especially on hot days every liter becomes precious; you can sense it in the thin conversations in the stairwell and the smell of cold coffee in the morning that is no longer accompanied by a warm shower.

What Ibavi explains — and what remains

The housing institute said the fault had been fixed, pipes checked and repairs carried out. For many residents this sounds like a routine report: welcome, but not reassuring. Reports from Sóller and similar local coverage feed that skepticism. "This is not the first time," says a woman in her mid-forties who has lived here for ten years. "You can’t always rely on friends or family having space to shower." Skepticism thus accompanies the words of thanks. Good words, but trust is earned through transparency and reliability, not one-off repairs.

Underestimated consequences for daily life

The hardest hit are the elderly, single parents and families with small children. Interviews with neighbors reveal glimpses of everyday life: strict rationing of water on the third day, one bucket for the cat, one cup per person for brushing teeth. Such emergency measures are not ordinary — they are a warning sign. Added to this are financial burdens: extra bought bottles, additional trips to friends, lost working time. Who do you turn to about this, and who will reimburse these costs? This feeds into a broader water alarm affecting several Mallorca municipalities.

Aspects that are discussed too little

In conversations it becomes clear: it is not only about burst pipes. Communication, responsibilities and long-term maintenance are often worse organised than a technical diagnosis might suggest. Some points remain underexposed in the public debate:

1. Chain of responsibility: Who is responsible for internal pipes, who for the house connection and who for the municipal main line? Unclear boundaries lead to delays in repairs.

2. Old building installations: Even if the main line is intact, dilapidated risers or rotten connections in the apartments can cause outages. Drought pressures have also been reported in tourist areas, for example Deià's drought and its impact on hotels.

3. Emergency communication: Late or contradictory information increases stress and leads to rumors. A clear communication plan is missing.

Concrete demands and solution-oriented proposals

Several residents already have concrete ideas on how to improve the situation in the future. Their proposals are pragmatic and feasible:

Transparent status map: A public dashboard for affected buildings and current faults — accessible online and easy to understand.

Fixed contacts: A direct number or a designated contact person at Ibavi who is informed immediately in case of outages and provides feedback.

Regular inspections: Planned inspections of building installations at least once a year, with priority for older complexes.

Emergency plans: Agreed procedures for immediate aid (tankers, hygiene boxes, support for at-risk groups) and a quick review of who covers which costs.

Documentation and compensation: Residents should document outages (date, time, photos, receipts). This is the basis for possible compensation and serious complaints.

What the neighborhood does — and should do

The mood in the corridors is not hysterical, it is vigilant. Conversations about signature lists, a meeting with the municipal administration and the idea of a small water reserve room are circulating. An older neighbor almost dryly suggested the idea of a central water dispenser — a touch of irony in an otherwise serious context.

Water is not a luxury, it is basic infrastructure. As long as outages are treated as exceptions rather than as symptoms of structural problems, uncertainty will return again and again. If you live in the neighborhood: document, ask for fixed contacts and remain persistent — trust is built through reliability, not lip service.