Mayor Hila (right) and Emaya president, Ramon Perpinyà (centre). | MDB

TW
0

Councillor Ramon Perpinyà, the president of Palma's municipal services agency Emaya, said on Friday that only 34% of the city's residents drink tap water on a regular basis, whether this is directly or with filters.

He made this observation at the presentation of one of the filtered-water fountains that are being installed in various parts of the city. This one was in Plaça Santa Pagesa, one of eleven that are in operation. The aim is to have thirty by the end of the year. The fountains are in places with high numbers of pedestrians and include certain tourist areas, such as Porta Pintada.

There are two types of fountain, as one has a spout for dogs to be able to drink. Mayor José Hila explained that the objectives are to reduce the use of non-returnable plastic bottles and to encourage the drinking of tap water. "Palma must move forward in terms of sustainability, and we are doing so through large projects and small ones at street level, such as this."

Perpinyà stressed that the tap water has been drinkable for many years. The only problem has been the minimum amount of chlorine that has been required for health reasons. The filter for the fountains suppresses the taste of chlorine and gives an "excellent taste". He added that waste has become a real problem in Palma, and so the town hall is working to reduce it, and this includes non-returnable plastic bottles.