More money for fighting forest fires

The Balearic government has approved a transfer of 45 million pesetas to Ibanat (Balearic Nature Institute) for reforestation, plus a further 30 million pesetas for fire prevention. Minister Antoni Garcias said that the reforestation would also include improvements to installations for preventing forest fires. The Institute will also restore an olive grove at Menut and take action in the Comuna de Caimari (Selva) and estates in the Peguera-Cala Fornells area to combat the Tomicus plague. The 30 million pesetas for the fire prevention project will be spent mainly in Ibiza, where water storage tanks will be repaired, “danger of fire” signs put up and undergrowth and canals cleaned. Work will also be carried out at 15 watch points in the three islands. Forest fires are a major danger in the summer, and the government spends considerable sums of money on fighting them. Most of them are caused by carelessness.