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Louise Thomas

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A Mallorcan municipality is restricting water consumption to combat an “extreme emergency situation” ahead of peak tourism season.

Banyalbufar council is turning off the taps to meet supply demands of the high-consumption summer months after a lack of rainfall.

Joan Vives, deputy mayor of Banyalbufar, announced in a statement: “After the water crisis we suffered and having restored the municipal network in its entirety now, the tankers can no longer guarantee us the minimum supply of water to supply the growing population of summer where consumption is increasingly high.”

According to the town council, continuous spending on hiring water trucks is no longer financially viable due to “budgetary instability”.

There will be no water supply through the network between 11pm and 4pm from 15 July.

Under the regulations, using drinking water to clean cars and terraces, refill swimming pools and water tanks or water plants is prohibited.

The water supply will run for the remaining seven hours of the day.

Daily consumption per person already “cannot exceed 75 litres” in the area with only 600 permanent residents.

“We ask for the maximum citizen collaboration to make a responsible consumption of water in front of the emergency situation that affects our municipality,” said Vives.

The popular municipality in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains published the ban on 2 July – a two-week warning for residents, hotels and hospitality services to prepare for the water tank restrictions to come into place.

A high number of tourist accommodations in the area could be affected by the new restrictions, including Sir Richard Branson’s luxury Son Bunyola Hotel & Villas.

Banyalbufar is reportedly a favourite of the Virgin boss, who recently sold his neighbouring country hotel, Son Valentí, to a Danish banker.

The measures will remain “until the situation improves” and a new well can be built to support the municipal reservoir – currently operating below minimum levels.

Banyalbufar’s mayor Eleonor Bosch cut the water supply to rustic areas from 11am to 4pm in May after the drought created a “critical situation”.

Other Mallorcan municipalities such as Artà, Estellencs, Algaida, Montuïri and Porreres have also introduced caps on water consumption this year.

In April, drought-stricken northeastern Catalonia considered introducing water restrictions for holidaymakers in the driest parts of the region if domestic consumption is not curtailed.

The restriction of 100 litres per tourist per day for hotels will go into effect if a municipality fails to keep domestic water use by residents below established limits for three consecutive months, officials said.

For more travel news and advice listen to Simon Calder’s podcast.

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