The works, aimed at preventing future floods in the Ses Planes stream, will begin following approval in the coming months

Today marks six years since the tragic floods in Mallorca’s Levante, where heavy rains on 9 October 2018 caused a catastrophe in the municipality of Sant Llorenç, resulting in 13 fatalities and extensive material damage. To prevent future floods of such magnitude, the Consell de Mallorca has presented a drainage improvement project on the Sant Llorenç bypass, passing through the Ses Planes stream, a key piece of infrastructure in the area.

A project to prevent future catastrophes

The work, which will be approved in the coming months, has a budget of 5 million euros and aims to increase the hydraulic capacity of the current drainage system in the Ses Planes stream, whose inadequacy was a key factor in the 2018 floods. The Department of Territory, Mobility, and Infrastructure of the Consell has conducted the necessary technical studies, allowing the process of public consultation, tendering, and land expropriations to begin.

Increasing drainage capacity

With this intervention, the water flow capacity under the road will increase from the current 105 cubic metres per second to 488.5 cubic metres per second. This will be achieved by expanding the water flow frames from 4 to 10, each measuring 5.7 metres wide and 4.4 metres high, allowing for a much greater volume of water to be managed in the event of heavy rainfall.

In addition, the roundabout on the bypass, which acted as a dam in the 2018 floods, diverting water into the urban centre, will be modified.

Project advances and resolution

This project, which had been stalled due to technical disagreements between the Consell de Mallorca and Water Resources, was unblocked a year ago. Since then, all the required studies, including topographical and structural reviews, have been completed to ensure the new drainage works are effective and safe.

Next steps

Once approved by the Consell’s plenary session, the land expropriations and tendering for the works will proceed, with construction expected to begin in the coming months. The Consell de Mallorca reaffirms its commitment to prevent a repeat of the 2018 disaster and emphasises the importance of this intervention for the safety of the residents and the Sant Llorenç area.