Plan should finally resolve water crisi

The central administration through the Ministry for the Environment is prepared to invest up to 45 million pounds on building water desalination plants across the Balearics. The announcement comes after a report which stated that reservoirs now only contain 12 percent of their total water capacity. The Balearic Government, faced with a severe water shortage last summer, has now decided that desalination plants are the way forward to resolve the pressing water crisis. The plan announced yesterday involves building desalination plants in Alcudia, Ciutadella (Minorca), Andraitx and Santa Eulalia in Ibiza. The plant in Palma will be enlarged yet again so that it is capable of producing 30'000 cubic metres more of water a day. However, these plans still have to be approved by the local government and this could lead to a further crisis as relations between Palma and Madrid have already been described as difficult. The blue print of the plan presented yesterday is as follows: PALMA: The desalination plant in Palma will be boosted so that it is able to produce 80'000 cubic litres of water. It will supply water to Palma, Calvia and Andraitx. It will have a total of eleven “lines” or water producing units. ANDRAITX: This plant will be solely to supply Andraitx and it will cost in excess of 1'000 million pesetas. CIUTADELLA: The local government has so far not given this plan the green light but the Ministry for the Environment would like to build a desalination plant in the Minorcan city which could produce up to 10'000 cubic metres of water a day.