Balearic water crisis is all set to boil over again

The water crisis has come back to haunt the Balearic government. The president of the EMAYA Palma water board, Maria Crespo, yesterday told the Balearic Environment Minister, Margalida Rosselló, that she is ultimately responsible for the water problems this summer, after having failed to expand the desalination plant, which should have been carried out in accordance with an agreement approved by the Balearic Chief Minister in March. Crespo, who was the brunt of a series of attacks from the Environment Minister when the water crisis blew up in March, hit back yesterday saying that while it was intended that the desalination plant be expanded so that 21'000 cubic metres of water would be produced per day, the Minister has only applied for an extra 7'000 cubic litres. Crespo accused the Minister of being blatantly “disobedient” and made it clear that the “key to emerging from the water problem” is firmly in the hands of the government. Crespo also warned her opponents that Jaume Matas has not even got to his new Madrid office as Minister for the Environment, so there is no point in them attacking him.