Water lost at sea would cover a third of Palma´s needs

The fountain at Sa Costera has poured 16.6 cubic hectometres of fresh water into the sea this winter. This represents more than a third of the water consumed in Palma in a year. This was the answer given by Balearic minister for the environment Margalida Rossello to a question raised by PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers Party) deputy Mercé Amer. The minister explained that to this must be added a further 15 cubic hectometres poured into the sea from the Torrent Major of Soller. The minister gave a detailed account of the water which has been lost since October, amounts ranging from 0.5 hectometres in November, peaking at 4.5 hectometres in the month of February. Rossello lamented the delay in plans to channel this water and said that if it had been done years ago, then perhaps it would not have been necessary to build the desalination plant in Palma. She said that more water is lost from Sa Costera and Torrent Major than the desalination plant produces in a year. The minister also got involved in a bitter dispute with PP (Popular Party) deputy Jaume Font, after he asked her why she had taken part in the demonstration in Barcelona against the National Hydrology Plan. She said she had taken part in the demo because she considered the plan “disgraceful”, using the same adjective to describe the fact that Matas is still the central minister of the environment after drawing up the plan.