The opposition Junts Avançam at Pollensa town hall have demanded that Mayor Cifre's administration prohibits swimming in certain areas of Puerto Pollensa - the party has specified Albercutx, Ullal and Tamarells.
In a statement, Junts say that they had called for a ban in the summer because of the "alarming results" from water analysis. They note that analyses, both private and public, coincided in highlighting the worrying situation. The levels of coliform bacteria (typified by E. coli) were above legal limits.
Earlier this week, because of high temperatures and sunny weather, "many people were still swimming". This was despite the high rates of bacteria, as the situation has not been resolved. In fact, Junts insist, "the state of the waters has worsened significantly". As residents have been saying, the party claims, there have been faecal spills because of the bad condition of pipes and spills that have come from "black wells".
Junts have restated their demand for there to be a comprehensive project to address the problem once and for all. The call for this project was approved at the council meeting in September, with the abstention of the four parties which make up the administration - Tots per Pollença, Partido Popular, El Pi and Unió Mollera Pollencina. Junts subsequently observed that the request for the plan wouldn't be a priority, as Tomeu Cifre had noted that having a plan is not "a panacea" for what are specific problems.
Over a month ago, the town hall's environment councillor, Maria Buades, said that the condition of the water was no worse and that the number of spills was no higher than over the past five years. While an admission of the persisting nature of the problem, her words were also intended as a criticism of Junts for having presided over four years of spills while running the town hall.
Junts have as good as accepted that they should have done more, so the current administration can't be wholly blamed for a situation which it in any event believes to be characterised by "specific" incidents. The administration has also queried the veracity of private analysis of water samples.
Specific or not, the evidence does appear to be mounting, and a prime concern, which is shared by businesses in Puerto Pollensa, is for tourism next year. After the trials of 2020, the last thing that's needed is a problem with the beaches. There is a political row between Junts and the administration, but there are voices, such as that of the Alternativa per Pollença, calling for an end to the politics and for some meaningful action.
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Sewage spills in Puerto Pollensa have been going on for over 10 years and nothing has been done. We were swimming off Pine Walk in 2019 and were advised by a resident that sewage had contaminated the water. There were no beach closure signs. This is shocking and if holiday makers, like us, boycott the town in the future then the local economy will suffer its second major hit. Under investment in infrastructure is to blame and to be honest, they deserve to suffer. People have discovered that places like Greece, Italy, Croatia, Florida offer far better value for money and a safer beach holiday. Adios.