A project involving the installation of water reservoirs to fight forest fires in highly valuable ecological areas

The project

Forest fires are one of the greatest threats to the forest areas on the islands and despite a drop in the number of fires thanks to the work of the authorities, some still manage to evade the initial extinction controls, affecting large forest areas and causing ecological and environmental damage as well as damage to property and people on a more frequent basis.

Events such as the 2013 fire in Andratx, the one in Morna in 2011 and the Benirràs fire of 2010, seriously affected the forestry of the Balearic Islands and was a turning point in terms of prevention and extinction policies for forest fires on the islands, which intensified the main lines of action for citizen awareness, cooperation with other organisations and the improvement of defence structures against fire.

One of the priority actions within this policy has been the improvement of the supply of water to the land and air operational extinction resources. Water is a fundamental element that is so scarce that its availability is often very limited just like in other parts of the Mediterranean, either due to its non-existence or a lack of resources to access it.

Also essential is the establishment of an optimal network of water reservoirs that meets the needs of the firefighting operation and that should be declared of general interest to ensure its availability and effectiveness, the scope of the 4th General Defence Plan against Forest Fires of the Balearic Islands (2015-2024).