Balearic Islands face water contamination and drought

The Balearic Islands are facing significant water management challenges, characterized by high levels of wastewater contamination and declining water reserves. In Ibiza, an annual report from the Alianza por el Agua reveals that all eleven wastewater treatment plants received influent exceeding legal limits at some point in 2025. Approximately 40.1% of the island's total wastewater flow was non-compliant, the highest rate in the archipelago. While the new Sa Coma treatment plant has significantly improved output quality, reaching 88.8% compliance, experts note that the project faced a nearly twenty-year delay between its 2015 tender and 2024 completion.

Simultaneously, the region is grappling with drought conditions. Total water reserves in the Balearic Islands fell to 38% in August, down from 40% the previous year. Rainfall in August was significantly below the climatic average, showing a 55% precipitation deficit. This has led to various drought alert levels across the islands: 37.6% of the territory is currently under alert, while 60.8% is in a pre-alert status. Only 1.6% of the territory remains in a normal status, with Formentera being the only demand unit to maintain normal conditions.