Ibiza crisis as Balearic island hotspot urged 'act now' or face restrictions

Ibiza has been rocked by serious water shortages as the island is officially on drought alert. Water shortages on the popular holiday hotspot have kicked in, affecting both sunseeking holidaymakers and tourists.

Water levels slumped to under one-third. Alarm bells were rung last month when it was revealed that the island's water supplies were at 29% of their capacity, the lowest level since 2015. The news comes just days after the Soller in the Balearic Islands ordered drought warning measures, which will affect locals and tourists alike. The local council announcedseveral measures to preserve water, impacting local citizens, tourists, and the tourism sector, which includes hotels, holiday rentals, bars, restaurants, and cafes.

Soller in the north-west of the Spanish island says it has to act now or face an even more serious situation.

In a bulletin posted this morning, the Spanish government said: "The month of August ended with water reserves of 41 in the Balearic Islands, two points below the previous month's figure (43%) and also two points less than the percentage recorded a year ago (43%). By islands, Mallorca has gone from 46% to 43%, Menorca from 40% to 34% and Ibiza from 29% to 27%."

"Ibiza has entered a situation of alert. "

"According to data from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the month of August has been considered slightly dry in the Balearic Islands, with an average of 13.5 l/m² of precipitation compared to the usual 20.1 l/m². By islands: Mallorca has been classified as slightly dry with 13.1 l/m² (vs 21.1 l/m²), Menorca as humid with 28.3 l/m² (vs 16.9 l/m²), and both Ibiza (1.1 l/m² vs 18.5 l/m²) and Formentera (1.6 l/m² vs 13.4 l/m²) as dry. "

"As for temperatures, the month of August has been very warm on all the islands, with an average temperature of 26.5 ºC and an anomaly of +1.2 ºC compared to the climatic average."

In the popular hotspot of Soller, public showers have been suspended, people have been told to take short showers, and swimming pools must not be filled. Some cleaning must only be carried out when it becomes a health and safety risk.

The council warned that rain forecasts are "non-existent in the short term", and that the measures will be "in force until further notice". It said Sóller is "currently experiencing a drought warning situation".

"If we do not take measures soon, we will reach a critical moment, which is why it is important to start acting to preserve our water resources and guarantee that the entire population has water without having to take more restrictive measures," it said.