Mallorca reservoir levels double what they were last year

The Gorg Blau reservoir capacity is currently very good.

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma21/09/2020 14:27

There is no shortage of water in Majorca at present. For supply to Palma, the Cúber and Gorg Blau reservoirs are currently at 60% capacity. This is almost twice as much as this time last year. The Emaya municipal services agency is currently extracting 225 litres per second from the reservoirs, which is half the amount which can be taken.

Last winter's rains and the heavy rain that fell in April mean that supply can be guaranteed over this autumn and winter without Emaya needing to buy in desalinated water, something which has been necessary in recent years. Looking ahead to spring, the situation will depend on how much rain there is this winter. Last year, the reservoirs were overflowing because there had been a wet winter.

As well as the rainfall, there has been the impact of the pandemic. Between the state of alarm being declared in March and the middle of August, water consumption in Palma fell by sixteen per cent compared with the same period in 2019. This reduction was most pronounced in May and June, when it was 20%; this was attributable to the lack of tourism activity. In July and August, the falls weren't as great - 15% and 12% respectively.

The pandemic has therefore had a stabilising effect on water consumption and has resulted in the reservoirs being in their current good condition.