Sóller Facing a Drinking Water Emergency: Ten Days Until the Crisis?

Sóller Facing a Drinking Water Emergency: Ten Days Until the Crisis?

On the Plaça de la Constitució one currently hears a different buzz of voices than usual: not the laughter of people enjoying Sunday coffee, but worried questions about the tap. The town council warns that the mains water may only last about ten days if no significant rain falls. On the streets of Port de Sóller the usual sounds — seagulls, the clatter of coffee cups, the murmur of tourists — are now often accompanied by conversations about shower times and buckets in backyards.

What people are feeling now

Strict saving measures have been in place since the weekend: pools are no longer being refilled, private gardens may not be watered, and hotel cleaning teams are working more sparingly. Two municipal swimming pools remained closed — a hard blow for families and employees who usually swim laps there in the mornings. In the harbor you can see waiters explaining shorter shower routines to guests, receptions handing out information sheets, and shopkeepers handling wet cloths more sparingly. A bar on Carrer de sa Mar now uses bucket water for the toilets — a sight that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Why the situation is so critical

The explanation sounds simple but the consequences are complex: too little rain plus high consumption during the tourist high season. The large reservoirs in the Tramuntana, Gorg Blau and Cúber, are only at around 31 percent of their capacity. Less obvious but decisive are leakage rates in old pipes, poor enforcement of efficient water meters and the additional strain from pools, golf courses and upscale hotels. Many households notice the crisis through small changes — fewer laundry loads, targeted use of dishwashers and placing flowers out of the sun.

The key question: Can Sóller avoid supply interruptions without stifling daily life?

That is the core issue. In the short term, home remedies help: collect rainwater, shorten showers, run washing machines only when full, reduce toilet flush volumes (cisterns or water-saving basins), and store water in containers. But the real pinch points run deeper: How well are the reserves distributed? How much water is lost through old pipes? And how much of consumption is truly unavoidable — or the result of a business model built on permanent luxury for holidaymakers?

Aspects that are rarely on the radar

Public debates often focus on rain and tourism, but overlook:

1. Distribution losses: Leaks and outdated infrastructure can swallow a significant portion of the resource.

2. Agricultural demand and irrigation timing: Small farmers and commercial areas compete for the same resource, often without coordinated schedules.

3. Social distribution: Seasonal workers, older people and low-income households are particularly vulnerable when interruptions occur.

4. Missing incentives: Without targeted tariffs or subsidies for conservation technology, motivation remains low among some actors.

Concrete opportunities and solutions

The good news: many measures are immediately feasible and relatively inexpensive. Suggestions that are realistic now:

Immediate: Regulated supply times instead of blanket cuts, public water stations for emergencies, strengthened communication (also in foreign languages for guests), voluntary pool closures with tax compensation for hotels.

Medium-term: Investments in leak detection and renewal of critical pipeline sections, mandatory rainwater cisterns for new builds, promotion of greywater systems in hotels and homes, digitized consumption meters.

Long-term: Regional coordination on water rights, decentralized treatment (small desalination plants powered by renewable energy), a drought plan that fairly balances tourism, agriculture and households.

Politics, business and neighborhood — everyone is called upon

The town council has announced emergency plans, but that is not enough to address structural problems. Clear rules for hotel operators are needed, incentives for water-saving technology and fairer distribution in drought times. And: citizen budgets for local rain-harvesting projects or communal water cisterns could help distribute the burden in solidarity.

In the end, these are not only technical questions but also decisions about priorities: showers for guests or water for households? Irrigation for orange trees or for private lawns? These debates are uncomfortable but necessary.

Last night, as the bells of Sóller's church rang and a cooler wind came down from the Tramuntana, a neighbor secretly filled her watering can with rainwater — a small, pragmatic act of adaptation. If the coming days bring no rain, such everyday measures will become all the more important — and the question more urgent of how sustainable and fair our water policy really is.