There are serious concerns about damage caused to crops by the recent rain. Cereal crops in the Pla district of the island and the potatoes in Sa Pobla have all been affected. In the case of potatoes, there could be serious consequences for the harvest that is due to start in March.
During a visit to Sa Pobla today, President Armengol announced that the government will study the establishment of a separate line of aid in addition to that which comes from the state. She also said that a government priority is the cleaning and maintenance of torrents. Despite the increased budget for torrents, she recognised that there is still a long way to go.
The government has said that there will be rapid cooperation with town halls in forwarding claims to the national government's delegation in the Balearics. It will also be seeking an increased budget for torrent maintenance.
Environment and agriculture minister Vicenç Vidal pointed out that Majorca and the Balearics have suffered two periods of storms and heavy rain in the space of a few weeks. He and Armengol stressed the fact that the latest storms have not caused any personal injuries and they praised the efforts of the emergency services.
On Sunday, Vidal accompanied the mayors of Algaida and Montuiri in visiting fields that had been flooded. Hopeful that the worst of the weather has passed, he will be starting an evaluation of the damage tomorrow and be meeting with the agriculture sector.
The minister noted that although there has been a doubling of the budget for maintenance, the torrents were unable to contain the volume of water caused by the rain. The result, as was also the case in December, was that they overflowed and caused flooding on a wide scale.
The mayors of Sa Pobla and Muro, Biel Ferragut and Marti Fornes, met on Sunday as a matter of urgency and will present a united front in pressing for compensation. They are both also demanding urgent action to be taken with the Muro torrent. Because it was unable to cope, there have been major floods on agricultural land.
Vidal hasn't escaped criticism. The El Pi party say that his visit to Algaida and Montuiri was "partisan" (Montuiri's mayor is with Vidal's party, Més, and Algaida's is with PSOE) and that he excluded other affected municipalities - Sant Joan (Partido Popular) and Porreres (El Pi).
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