The RAF base where water availability is ‘effectively negative’ | World | News
Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands opened in 1985 after the Falklands War (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
The Falkland Islands found themselves at the centre of a row over sovereignty last month after it was reported that the United States could withdraw its support for British sovereignty over the archipelago. The little, windswept chunks of isolated land in the South Atlantic are valued by Brits after an Argentine invasion was repelled in 1982. Three years later, a military base, Mount Pleasant, was opened by then Prince Andrew, a Falklands War veteran. The British overseas territory is today very confident in running its own affairs, developing its economic infrastructure and defending itself against any incursion.
But the islands’ remote location presents challenges, including with the supply of food. Another priority is the continued flow of water to where it needs to be. In the 2024-25 edition of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Sanctuary magazine, wrote that the Falklands has only 30% of the UK’s annual rainfall, and this is falling by 1% per year.
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Stanley was liberated from Argentine control in 1982 by British troops (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
The availability of water has been “effectively negative” for four years due to increased evaporation, he added.
Mount Pleasant consumes 500 litres per person per day – four times the UK’s average, Merino wrote.
RAF Mount Pleasant is self-contained, and generates all of its own utilities, from every watt of power to every drop of water.
“This is driven by ageing infrastructure, limited monitoring and the demands of remote operations,” Merino added.
The archipelago’s wastewater treatment plant, while functional, “lacks long-term resilience and is due for review”, the RAF man wrote.
To this end, two innovative studies are underway in collaboration with the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute – including a hydrogeological survey, which would assess future water availability and identify necessary interventions before shortages occur.
The Express was told by someone who works at Mount Pleasant that, at present, “there is definitely not a water shortage on base”, and the situation is “all fine”.
They added that, if there were any issues, the news would “spread like wildfire”.
The Falkland Islands Government and MoD also confirmed that the water situation was normal.
A spokesperson for the latter said: “Our commitment to the Falkland Islands is unshakeable.
“There is no emerging threat of a water shortage which would affect the Falkland Islands or Mount Pleasant Complex.”
Meroni added that there would also be a study exploring the feasibility of using native rushes for natural wastewater treatment, and a British strategic command project plans to trial a wastewater to hydrogen system.
