The Balearic Government has included in its new budgets an additional provision that will allow direct aid to be granted to municipalities that, in a hydrological emergency situation, need to guarantee the supply of drinking water through tanker trucks from the regional high network.
According to the Ministry of the Sea and the Water Cycle in a press release, the measure responds to «the need to have effective and agile mechanisms» to assist urban areas that are not connected to the Balearic high network and lack alternative water supply sources in extreme drought scenarios.
These aids will be available only to municipalities located in demand units officially declared in a state of emergency and provided they justify having implemented all the measures outlined in the Special Action Plan in Alert and Eventual Drought Situations (Decree 54/2017).
This initiative is part of the regional government’s strategy to address the challenges of climate change and pressure on water resources, without the need to modify the general regulatory framework. According to the Government, they have opted for «specific mechanisms that allow for quick action when the situation requires it.»
At the same time, the General Directorate of Water Resources maintains «close technical collaboration with municipalities in the interior of Mallorca.» On June 17, officials from the area and from the Balearic Water and Environmental Quality Agency (Abaqua) met with representatives from the Mancomunitat del Pla de Mallorca to address doubts about the processing of projects linked to Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) aid and «seek technical support to facilitate their implementation.»
With this new measure, the Ministry reaffirms its commitment to «solidary and efficient water management,» based on «institutional cooperation and measures adapted to the real characteristics of the territory.»
FUENTE