When do you removing salt from seawater?

[Uri-Biia]

Is salt likely to be removed from sea water when there is a large population or little drinking water?

[football]

removing salt from seawater, desalination, is expensive & happens in places like Saudi Arabia. There is enough rainwater to fill aquefers & resevoirs. Population would not be a reason for this use of sea water but water pollution would make it necessary; or else factories not to pollute the rivers so much.

[Elfin]

I went to Gibraltar a couple of years ago and apparently their water supply (and that of southern Spain) is desalinated and it is because of the hot dry climate and lack of rainfall. Likewise on islands like the Canaries. Water is expensive for those living there.

[rinkytink]

They are thinking about doing this in the U.K. So it's not just countries with low rainfall:

DESALINATION IN EAST SUSSEX !?!

[DuzyEverwork]

Malto and Gozo rely entirely on desalination and the desalination plants are constantly upgraged and enlarged to deal with the tourist industry. (Eerm Elfin,I dont want to be controversial but as far as I know there are no desalination plants here in southern Spain and I live 100miles from Gib. The Costa del Sol has the same average rain fall as southern UK but in a shorter time period.. and another useless piece of information, the temperature in this area at midnight is roughly the same as midday in the UK)

[Elfin]

trudileach, I bow to your greater knowledge on this one. I was only going on what I was told by a Gib resident. I'm sure you are correct :-)