Water bank suggested to solve problems

Experts attending a congress on water in the Balearics came to the conclusion that the islands need an environmental indicator and a water bank in order to improve management of resources, which are becoming increasingly lower. The three-day congress was closed yesterday by Balearic minister of the environment Margalida Rosselló. It had been attended by experts from Spain and from other parts of the world. The environmental indicator would function like the consumer price index and record information such as pollution levels, state of the atmosphere, water levels, rainfall and the cost per cubic metre of water. It would be used to prepare a monthly report as, according to the experts, the main problem is lack of information. Another initiative proposed at the congress was a water bank, which would mean that water could be transferred from one sector to another in time of drought, for example from farming to hotels, or hotels to industry.