Balearic President Marga Prohens chaired today’s inaugural meeting of INUNCAIB, a new body established to coordinate flood risk prevention and response across the Balearic Islands. The initiative comes amid an increasing frequency of torrential rains and cut-off low weather systems (DANAs), which are becoming more common due to climate change.
“For the first time, the Directorates-General for Emergencies, Water Resources and Innovation, together with departments such as IB-Digital, will work side by side in preventing and responding to one of the archipelago’s main natural hazards,” Prohens highlighted.
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Balearic Government creates INUNCAIB, the first integrated body for flood risk management in the Balearic Islands
The new body will bring together civil protection, hydraulic planning and technological resources to improve forecasting capacity, watershed monitoring through sensors and emergency response. In addition, the Government is preparing an agreement with AEMET (Spanish State Meteorological Agency) to enhance prediction capabilities and optimise institutional coordination during risk events. The agreement will also ensure the permanent presence of a meteorologist at the Emergency Coordination Centre during critical episodes.
The meeting was attended by representatives from nearly all Government areas, as well as members of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), AEMET and the Federation of Local Entities (FELIB).
Beyond the creation of INUNCAIB, Prohens recalled other ongoing measures aimed at flood prevention and management: amending territorial regulations to reinforce safety in flood-prone areas; promoting Municipal Emergency Plans (PEMUs) — 9 municipalities already have approved plans, 7 have submitted drafts and 6 have requested technical support; deploying the new OnCall emergency management system; collaborating with IB-RED to use 39 monitoring cameras across the territory; reinforcing the TETRAIB communications network; and cleaning and maintaining more than 310 kilometers of streams, with a planned investment of €17 million in 2025 dedicated solely to this task.
Later this month, the Government will launch a public awareness campaign providing self-protection tips for flood risk situations.
“There is no such thing as zero risk,” Prohens stated, “but we are doing everything in our power to protect citizens and minimise the potential impact of these phenomena.”