Photo by Damien Guéras for Alianza por el Agua
With an average of around 300 days of sunshine per year, even in winter, Ibiza's largely warm and pleasant environs offer a pleasant contrast to the much greyer and chillier climes of northern Europe.
The flip side to this, of course, is that the island suffers from a distinct lack of rainfall. The annual total for Ibiza in 2024 was just under 300mm, about a quarter of the UK average. Perfect conditions for sun-seeking holidaymakers, but when you consider that there are no lakes or other significant surface water reserves on the island, it all makes for one very dry landmass.
Satellite photos released in the last two years by Spain's National Geographic Institute reveal the progressive drying out of Ibiza's landscape. The situation has continued to worsen since then, with Ibiza's groundwater reserves now down to just 34% of their capacity.
Both Ibiza and Formentera are already on a drought warning, and the Balearic Regional Government predicts that the islands could officially enter a drought before summer, if the situation does not improve and special measures are not taken.
Running on empty
Until a few years ago, Ibiza was entirely reliant on 16 aquifers (natural underground reservoirs) for its water supply. That may once have been enough to cater to the island's residents, but it is far from sufficient to cope with the millions of visitors who come here, almost all of them in the summer months.
Over time, the aquifers have become overused and depleted and, according to data analysed by IbizaPreservation's Sustainability Observatory, in 2022, half of them were considered to be at risk or in a bad state.
The island now has three desalination plants, which provide good-quality drinking water. But, while much of our fresh water comes from those, more than a third of the demand is fed by the worn-out, salinated aquifers, particularly in the summer months when the human pressure on the island is greatest.
Cutting consumption
Short of doing a weekly rain dance, you may wonder what on earth you can do to help a situation that seems so beyond our individual control. But we can all do our bit by trying to save water wherever possible.
In recent years, the consumption of water in Ibiza has been more than double the target set by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals of 100 litres per person per day. While some of that is accounted for by leaks in the network, which is in dire need of investment and modernisation, a lot of that is down to our own habits.
Ten ways to save water
Whether you're a visitor or a resident, here are ten easy ways to reduce your water consumption:
- Turn the tap off while you are washing your hands, brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Ditto when you are doing the washing up. Fill the sink with water, soap and scrub the dishes with the water off and then rinse them off in one go afterwards. Also remember that a dishwasher uses less water than washing by hand, if you put a full load on.
- Save up your laundry until you have a full load. If you have to wash a small amount, select the Half Load setting on your washing machine, if there is one.
- If you're staying in a hotel, hang your towels up after you've used them, so that they don't get taken away to be washed on a daily basis.
- Showers are better than baths. Keep them to once a day and a maximum of 5 minutes!
- Reduce the water pressure on your shower and, if possible, turn it off while you are scrubbing yourself or shampooing your hair.
- When using the toilet, remember the classic Aussie adage, “If it's brown, flush it down; if it's yellow, let it mellow”. We'll save you the detailed explanation!
- Recycle water wherever possible e.g. wash your fruit and veg in a bowl and then re-use it to water the plants.
- If you have a garden, try to plant native varieties of trees and shrubs, which use less water than some of the more “fashionable”, tropical types.
- If you have a villa with a swimming pool, try to cover it when it's not in use. Around 55 litres a day can be lost through evaporation in hot weather.
You can find more solutions like this on our special webpage. Each one may only feel like a drop in the ocean, but, taken together, these measures can add up to a saving of as much as 50 litres of water per day. If we can replicate that across the island, it quickly starts to make a big difference, without lessening our enjoyment of the island.
So let's all do our bit to use water wisely and help conserve this vital resource!
You can find out more about IbizaPreservation and donate towards their work by going to their website: ibizapreservation.org. You can also follow them on Instagram, Facebook and X.com (formally Twitter).
