Who is destroying the aquifers in Spain? Greenpeace points to alleged criminals

“The abuse and pollution of waters seriously threatens the human supply, food production and survival of many peninsular ecosystems.condemns non-governmental organization (NGO) as well as small and medium-sized manufacturers who want to do things right. In the case of contamination, the causes are diverse and can be grouped as follows:

– Urban discharges. “In many cases, this is the main cause of quality loss and degradation of the aquatic environment. There are still dozens of municipalities and cities that do not properly treat their water. The EU Court of Justice has already fined a millionaire. In addition to the growing presence of microplastics, drugs and other synthetic chemical products, Greenpeace said, That’s why he’s in Spain.”

–Industrial discharges. “Since the development of the chemical industry began, about 100,000 substances have been released into the environment (1,000 new each year). Knowledge of their effects is scarce or zero, so it is urgent to adopt the precautionary principle and stop being current model-driven. Instead of getting to the root of the problems and preventing them, they are already causing them. on “resolve” indicates the presence of protection.

– Agricultural discharges. “The widespread pollution created by the growing model of industrial agriculture is fundamentally unsustainable due to the widespread use of other products such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that seep into the soil until they reach the aquifers of ever-expanding areas of the country. Added to this is the increase in macrofarms, as well as antibiotics used in industrial agriculture, emerging unattended a problem,” says Greenpeace.

threat of desertification

Two-thirds of Spanish territory is threatened by desertification Y Estimates of impacts in these areas due to climate change are among the most alarming and severe on the continent.Greenpeace warns.

Nevertheless, Agricultural policy continues to bet on “intensive and industrial irrigated agriculture that is wholly large and incompatible with the Mediterranean climate.”It consumes 84.3% of the water and shares the remaining 15.7% between human resources and industrial uses.

“We have spent years denouncing the lack of transparency and mismanagement around illegal wells and impunity for water theft.. Illegal and indiscriminate overuse of water for industrial and intensive irrigation and uncontrolled urban development. The prevalence of illegal wells and drilling in recent years“, criticizing the NGO.

Latest public data is for the year 2006When the government acknowledges its existence, 510.000 illegal wells drilled as much as they can 3,570 cubic meters of water per year, Equivalent to the average consumption of 58 million people.

“This means that half of the water pumped from the aquifers will be removed illegally. But a leak from the Ministry of Environment in 2017 acknowledged that these could be more than a million,” the environmental organization said.

” government passivity illegal water extraction typical crime There are fines and even prison sentences in the Penal Code, but the lack of knowledge and the means by prosecutors to prosecute him contributes to impunity”, condemns Greenpeace.

“Terrible water management”

According to the conservation organization, ” poor water management This is pushing Spain into the abyss of scarcity of a commodity as essential as water.” But who are the real culprits? The conservation organization points out seven of them:

-central government

“The hydrographic confederations that manage daily water and are therefore largely responsible for the current situation depend on the number of hectares of irrigated land (legal or illegal) and the pollution of water in the case caused by nitrates, forcing the European Commission to bring Spain before the EU Court of Justice”.

-Autonomous communities

“There has never been a regional government that has stood firm against the industrial agriculture and livestock sector and has always defended the interests of big corporations. They have the mandate to take measures to stop and reverse the situation.”

– Rural oligarchy

“Agribusiness, macro farms, mutual funds… These are large agricultural and livestock companies that have enough power to exert their power and pressure at every level (administrative and political) their business has something to do with. actions are allowed (filing sanctions files, administrative facilities, no inspections…) Most of these companies are multinationals or controlled by investment funds and have little or nothing to do with the countryside”.

– Big construction companies

“When we talk about water-related problems they are not always noticed because they don’t cause them and they apparently don’t benefit from it just because they’re building infrastructure and going away. But they benefit considerably from this model. They’re in pipes and desalination plants, large dams, etc. based on water, already building them. They manage and manage”.

– Large distribution companies

“This industry is without a doubt the biggest complicit in water mismanagement. They can decide for themselves which products to buy from which suppliers, but the struggle to sell cheap drives producers into the abyss, whatever the consequences. Unsustainable production.”

–Large irrigation unions and associations

“They are a pressure group at the national level. Irrigation associations also have one feature: they are private entities, but they manage water, which is a public good, so it is their job to distribute the water supplied by the Administration to each of them. This gives them extra strength.

– Farmer and farmer organizations

“Some farmer and farmer organizations are far from defending the legitimate interests of their partners and supporting policies that guarantee their survival, for example, the interests of the chemical industry, which makes the agricultural sector completely dependent on its products.”

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