170-tonne Ibiza party lake sparks water inquiry

A party in sa Pedrera, Sant Antoni, Ibiza, created an artificial lake using 170 tonnes of water during a drought pre-alert in mid-August. On 9 September, the Balearic Government confirmed it had opened preliminary inquiries and asked Sant Antoni Town Hall for information about the event. Sea and Water Cycle Minister Juan Manuel Lafuente said the checks would establish whether any rules had been broken.

Socialist MP Pilar Costa raised the case in Parliament, calling it a “pharaonic waste of water”. She said the town hall had allowed the party and that people across Ibiza knew about it.

Lafuente said wasting water was “not appropriate”. He said his department had managed water properly on Ibiza over the summer despite power cuts, but that the inquiry must now determine whether there had been infringements.

The minister disputed Costa’s account that the party had town hall backing. He said the Balearic Government was following the rules and had already requested details of the event from Sant Antoni Town Hall.

Costa accused Lafuente of “taking the public for fools” by condemning the water use after the event had allegedly been authorised. She linked the case to what she described as Ibiza’s problems with excesses, overcrowding and permissiveness.

Topics: Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com