Balearic Islands water crisis affects over 145,000 residents

A 2025 report by the Alliance for Water (Aliança per l'Aigua) shows that more than 145,000 people in the Balearic Islands live in zones where drinking water is either unfit or at risk. The study, based on the National Water Consumption Information System, records 98,452 residents in areas where water was declared unsuitable at some point and an additional 46,575 in zones deemed at risk. The main causes are over‑exploitation of aquifers, marine intrusion, nitrate pollution and pressure from urban development.

Mallorca is the most affected island, with 70,357 inhabitants across 13 municipalities facing non‑compliant water supplies, especially in interior agricultural areas where nitrates dominate, and along the Santanyí coast where salinisation is the issue. Menorca records the highest share of failed analyses (26.1%). The Alliance calls for coordinated action: stricter control of groundwater extraction, enforcement of mandatory Water Safety Plans, and a halt to new urban projects unless sufficient high‑quality water resources are guaranteed.