Drought advances: Before summer, 47 municipalities were already on alert or pre-alert

PalmaThe Balearic Islands have started the summer with a very complicated situation in terms of water reserves. The data from June are worrying the Executive, and it is natural. Groundwater reserves, currently the main source of supply, have dropped again on the eve of summer and the lack of rain in recent weeks has worsened a situation already marked by pressure on aquifers. Although there is no talk of a generalized emergency, official data paint an increasingly tight scenario.

The water reserves of the Archipelago are currently at 45%, and as is well known, the coming weeks will be those of highest consumption by far. Mallorca arrives at summer with 46%, Menorca with only 34% —the lowest figure in recent years— and Ibiza with 47%. Both Mallorca and Menorca show reserves lower than those of June last year, which shows that summer is starting with less margin than in previous seasons.

The lack of rain is one of the factors that explain these figures, but obviously there is another, and that is the constant increase in population and tourists. Not only does it rain less often than a few years ago, but when it rains, it rains less, while population and visitor records do not stop. Of course, rains can always mask a slight lack of resources, but that has not been the case. June has been extraordinarily dry: only 0.3 liters per square meter have fallen in the Islands, when the usual for this month is 16.5 liters. That is to say, 98% less precipitation than normal. This figure explains a large part of the drop recorded during the last month, although it does not summarize the entire problem.

This is not a one-off episodeThe Government's concern goes beyond this isolated incident. Parliamentary responses consulted by ARA Balears to questions filed by MÉS per Mallorca deputy Maria Ramon show that a large part of the territory is already under surveillance. In April, 37 municipalities were in a pre-alert situation for water and 10 more were on alert, while only 20 municipalities remained in a normal situation. The Government insists that these scenarios "are defined by hydrological units and not strictly by municipalities", but the picture remains significant: a large part of the Islands faces the summer with resources under pressure.

The Executive also acknowledges that the problem is not limited to a lack of rainfall. In its parliamentary responses, it warns that climate change will make droughts longer, rainfall more irregular, and aquifer recharge more difficult. Calculations point to a 4.5% reduction in water availability in the next decade if this trend continues.

This is the main underlying concern: while water demand continues to grow, driven by population increase, tourism, and the construction of new homes, the major infrastructures needed to strengthen the system will still take years to become fully operational.