The water reserves drop to 54% in the Balearic Islands

PalmThe water reserves of the Balearic Islands stand at 54% in March, four points below February, but slightly above the figure for the same month last year (52%). As reported by the Ministry of the Water Cycle, the trend is uneven across islands and territories, with general decreases despite a significant rainfall event.

By islands, Mallorca goes from 59% to 54%, while Menorca remains at 48%. In Ibiza, reserves also fall, from 62% to 58%. The drought index for the hydrographic demarcation stands at 0.494, above last year's value (0.478), but below that of two years ago (0.513).

By demand units, only three areas register increases —Menorca, Artà and Manacor-Felanitx—, while seven show decreases, including Migjorn, es Pla, Palma-Alcúdia or the two areas of the Serra de Tramuntana, as well as Ibiza and Formentera.

Regarding the global situation, 29.1% of the territory —including Formentera, Ibiza, and areas of Tramuntana— is in a normal state. The majority, 60.7%, is on alert, while 10.2%, corresponding to es Pla, remains on a warning state.

Despite this evolution, March has been particularly wet. According to data from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), an average of 58.8 liters per square meter has been recorded, 65% more than usual. By islands, precipitation has been 67.9 l/m² in Mallorca, 44.6 in Menorca, 33 in Ibiza, and 31.2 in Formentera.

Overall, annual precipitation stands at 105% in the Balearic Islands, with values above average on all islands. The month was also slightly cold, with an average temperature of 12 ºC.

Looking ahead to April, and taking into account the time of year, a slight increase in water reserves is expected, while no significant changes are anticipated in drought scenarios.