Balearic water is most expensive

It's not as if the Balearics are short of water, Majorca's two reservoirs are close to bursting their banks and some 18 litres per square metre of rain fell in Palma in the early hours yesterday morning - but the Balearic population consumes the least amount of water in Spain. The latest report published shows that in the year 2000, on average, 168 litres of water was consumed per person per day, while in the Balearics it was just 129 litres, the second lowest in Spain. However, water in the Balearics in 2000 was the second most expensive in Spain, 1'32 euros per cubic metre, hence perhaps the low level of consumption. Ironically, with the reservoirs nearly full and water levels the highest for some 50 years, Balearic consumers are still advised against wasting water in order to preserve the reserves the region is building up. The drought which gripped the region throughout the 90*s, and the worst for the past 100 years, has been declared over by the local government. But careful water reserve management and water saving schemes are being introduced in order to ensure that the region is not crippled by a lack of water as it was some five years ago when water was being shipped by tanker from the mainland at vast costs to the consumers. The alternative was the construction of desalination plants, which at the moment are somewhat surplus.