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Date Published: 19/10/2021

ARCHIVED - WWF investigates theft of water from four aquifers in Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The environmental organisation has called on the government in Spain to take action on the illegal irrigation of land

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - WWF investigates theft of water from four aquifers in Spain

The theft of water is one of the most widespread and unpunished environmental crimes in Spain, and a new investigation conducted by the WWF revealed on Tuesday October 19 that four of the most important aquifers in this country are being illegally looted to irrigate crops whose surface covers more than one and a half times the size of the city of Madrid. Specifically, Las Tablas de Daimiel, Donana, Mar Menor and Los Arenales are being illegally drained at an “alarming” rate, irrigating 88,645 hectares of land.

Essentially, the stolen water is equivalent to more than 65,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools – just shy of 220 million cubic metres.

The investigation has discovered that the most dramatic case of groundwater theft has occurred from the aquifer that feeds the Tablas del Daimiel, irrigating the equivalent of more than 62,300 football fields. The WWF has complained that a lack of control over the extraction of water could lead to a crisis in this National Park similar to the situation that was experienced in 2019, when 72% more water than the allowed limit was used.

In the case of Donana and Aljarf, often coined ‘the most important wetland in Europe’, illegally irrigated land amounts to more than 4,700 hectares. While the Ministry for Ecological Transition has already closed down a number of illegal wells, the WWF insists that the main issue lies with the regional government in Andalucía, who have failed to thoroughly investigate crops being irrigated with the stolen water. To this end, Spain was actually fined by the European Court of Justice in June for failing to protect this natural area.

Perhaps the most shocking case of illegal irrigation is occurring on Spain’s Mar Menor, which continues to make headlines as a lack of oxygen and an abundance of nitrates has turned “the largest salt-water lagoon in Europe into a veritable green soup”. The report indicates that there are 8,460 hectares of illegally irrigated crops in the Campo de Cartagena, which has caused an ecological collapse in the area.

According to the WWF, these four cases are not isolated incidents but rather highlight a serious problem throughout Spain that threatens to undermine farmers committed to sustainable crop production. They have demanded that communities crack down on illegal wells and irrigation and that the central government reform the Water Law to dole out stricter penalties to those abusing the system.

Image: Archive

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