The Balearic water crisis “is solved”

The Director General for Water Resources, Antoni Rodriguez, said yesterday that the water problem for this summer is solved. With the mobile desalination plants now coming in to full operation in Palma, Calvia and Andraitx and a third supply line being installed at the main Palma desalination plant, Rodriguez says that the situation is under control. He explained yesterday that the drought and lack of rain comes in “cycles.” “More or less, people know what to do by instinct during a water shortage and the majority of people invariably reduce their level of water consumption,” he said. But he pointed out that the biggest problem is that during two months of the year the region attracts “more people than ever and we have to put up with a few tough months.” This summer a massive awareness campaign has been launched to make sure everybody is aware of the lack of water and its true value this year and according to Rodriguez, the campaign has had a positive effect. A report released last week indicated that demand for water has been reduced by resident consumers, however consumption for July and August is expected to have shot up by around ten per cent. But it is the concern for the future which prompted the government to draw up and launch a “shock” operation which involved the installation of the mobile desalination plants, against the wishes of central government which wanted to invest in the construction of permanent plants, but they would not have been ready until at least next year.