Water Management on Mediterranean Islands: Pressure, Recommended Policy and Management Options

Water is essential to life on our planet. Our very existence as well as our economic activities are totally dependent upon this precious resource — and on a global level, water is in many cases a limited resource. Even if Europe does not face generally shortages, Europe's water is far from satisfactory with regard to its quality and management. As the most sensitive area in Europe, the Mediterranean is particularly affected by this problem. Moreover, this situation on the Mediterranean islands is further aggravated because of their geographical isolation. Thus it is impossible to draw on more distant or diverse aquifers in general. Likewise, the threat of saline intrusion reduces the utilization of existing near shore aquifers in particular. Furthermore, the situation worsens during the driest part of the year between May and October when conflicting water demands and water availability are imbalanced. While the average precipitation within this period is very low the water demand is quite high. The water needs of the agricultural sector as the major user of water are very high and occur at the same period as the considerable water needs of the tourist sector Therefore an increased water demand can be observed in summer.