There but for the grace of God. If Mallorca felt that it took a battering from a ‘DANA’, it was nothing compared with the mainland. No one died in Mallorca. On Wednesday morning the death toll in Valencia kept on rising. The worst storm this century was the consequence of a DANA isolated depression at high altitude. Violent storms are often the consequence, but this was exceptional. Circumstances play their part. They have to be the worst ones to bring about such tragedy as occurred, the rainfall in Mallorca indicating just how these circumstances of location and intensity of rain and flooding are all important. There were 176 litres per square metre of rain in an area of Manacor overnight Sunday. In Valencia it was reported on Wednesday morning that there had been over 200; not so many more.
Emergency warnings
Few people in Mallorca would have needed reminding about the Sant Llorenç tragedy in October 2018; thirteen people lost their lives in the flooding. The president of the El Pi party, Tolo Gili, recalled Sant Llorenç in wondering why the promised emergency alert system had yet to become operational. He mentioned the fact that tests have been carried out, but “if this warning system exists, why isn’t it being used”. “At least the residents of the affected areas would know how to act. The government can’t spend six years carrying out tests; it has to set up this system now.”
The rain and thunderstorms in Mallorca were on Saturday as well as overnight on Sunday. As there was also poor weather elsewhere, Palma Airport was affected by delays and a handful of cancellations. The delays lasted most of Saturday because of the knock-on effect and planes having been in the wrong places. There were more delays on Wednesday.
Reservoirs still very low
While eastern areas of the island suffered the worst of the weather, the rainfall in the Tramuntana Mountains wasn’t especially heavy. Some seventy litres per square metre over the weekend represented a large amount but the impact on the reservoirs was minimal. On Monday, the Palma municipal services agency Emaya, which manages the reservoirs, reported a rise in reserves from 25.86% on October 21 to 27.33% on October 28. A year ago, Cúber and Gorg Blau were at 37.35% of total capacity. More regular and more persistent rain will be needed so that the reservoirs can recover; winter snow will also come in handy.
And flooding in Magalluf
There was flooding of a very less serious nature in Magalluf. Businesses on C. Punta Ballena and C. Pedro Vaquer have been complaining about occasional flooding for years. The rain at the weekend meant that one shop owner had to close for two hours on Saturday and for another four hours on Monday. As well as the water, there was the smell; the drains just can’t cope and so sewage flows into the streets. Accepting that there may be exceptional circumstances once in a while, the businesses say that there has been flooding on five occasions this year. They are critical of Calvia Town Hall for not having done anything.
Wealthy municipalities and social housing
Calvia, perhaps curiously, ranks only 17th out of Mallorca’s 53 municipalities in terms of wealth as defined by average household net income. The curiosity lies with the fact that it is one of the places in Spain with the highest number of luxury and expensive properties. The Calvia average is 39,912 euros. The highest average is in Marratxi – 49,827 euros.
The report on household income from the National Statistics Institute referred to the year 2022. Marratxi had overtaken Esporles, which had been in number-one spot in 2021.
Calvia is also one of six municipalities (so far) where public land has been ceded to the government in order to build affordable homes to rent. General policy is now as much about properties to rent as it is to buy. Social housing for purchase has been offered since the start of the 1980s by VPO homes (vivienda de protección oficial). Given the current housing problems in Mallorca and the Balearics, it is unfortunate that these homes have ceased to be under the government’s control and therefore the government’s low prices. Until 2018, when the government changed the rules, a VPO could be sold on the open market after thirty years. So far, the government has lost some 17,000 homes because of this. A further 10,427 have yet to reach the 30-year threshold, but when they do, they too can be sold on the open market, as this was among the terms at the time of purchase.
Reductions – accommodation places and cars
There has been yet another proposal partly aimed at cutting the number of holiday rental properties, which are viewed as contributing to the housing problems. This has come from opposition party Més, who have a raft of measures they would like to see introduced for tackling overtourism. One is for a 40% reduction in the number of tourist accommodation places (beds). Stressing the urgent need for policies aimed at tourism degrowth and economic diversification, Més have also argued that a significant part of tourist tax revenue should be invested in diversification.
A parliamentary motion for the various proposals was registered. It is most unlikely that a 40% cut would ever be accepted, as Més well know, but it is all part of keeping up pressure on the government.
One measure for reduction that has favour in government and Council of Mallorca circles concerns hire cars. The Council’s president, Llorenç Galmés, has proposed a reduction in the hire-car fleet. The two associations for the sector have differing views on this. Baleval, generally seen as representing the interests of the large operators, argues that the proposal could represent a restriction of constitutional rights – the freedom of movement of people and of goods. The other association, Aevab, recognises “there are too many hire cars in Mallorca”. It approximates that there can be up to 70,000 and reckons that 50,000 or 60,000 would be enough.
But cars can simply be too big
Whether hire car or privately owned, there is an issue with today’s cars – their size. This is particularly the case when it comes to the narrow streets in Palma and villages in Mallorca. It’s not just the likes of SUVs that are problematic, a car such as the Opel Corsa is 24 centimetres longer and 12 centimetres wider than it was twenty years ago. An urban planner, MarÃa Gómez, says that new streets are now designed so that they are wide enough for today’s car. “But then there is the existing city, and in the end it’s a question of status: the bigger, the better.”
