Environment
Water reserves in the Balearics keep falling
Banyalbufar and other Tramuntana municipalities are experiencing particular difficulties with water resources. | Lola Olmo
Palma20/07/2016 00:00
While there has been talk of Majorca already being on drought alert, this isn't actually the case. The distinction may not be great, but the island in on pre-alert, meaning that measures to deal with the water shortage are not as yet as tough as they might have to become. This said, various municipalities have already introduced certain measures, such as restrictions on watering gardens by drawing water from the public network.
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Perhaps a THIRD DE SALINATION PLANT is needed now?. Perhaps on the east coast area. Yes , they are expensive to construct, and operate. But millions of Tourists come to this Island every year. The lack of rain each Winter could be a common occurrence in the future. So another PLANT must become a future priority. Tourist Tax to assist with costings ?.
I've been coming here for long periods of time since 1983 and this problem has been constant: given the higher numbers of tourists coming now compared to then, you could argue that Mallorca has done well to keep abreast of the problem. I can remember water tankers having to come across from the mainland, now I believe that desalination, although very expensive, (and power hungry), can keep the problem from becoming a crisis. The geography and geology of Mallorca does not lend itself to easy water storage but I firmly believe that not enough effort or publicity is going into conservation of what water there is. I can (and do) shower daily with the shower running for less than one minute. It's easy to stay clean without standing there for ten minutes. I've seen very little evidence of persuasive advertising making this sort of water-saving part of the consciousness of local residents or the hundreds of thousands of tourists. You also have to question the authorities who over the years have planted hundreds of kilometers of the sort of roadside and other vegetation which is unable to survive without constant daily automatic watering via plastic piping, It needs a concerted campaign where the logic is plain and we our behaviour.
Educate the tourists on arrival at the airport. Boat workers etc. The Brits leave the taps running whilst cleaning their teeth for example.
I recall large water tankers being filled from the water in the English Lake District. Then shipped down to Mallorca. Perhaps , this method could be used again ?.
We have had water restrictions in Algaida on rural properties since 7th June.