Following Italy’s footsteps, Spain is now considered the epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak. With this title comes a lot of deaths in the country, plenty of hardship, including a lack of thriving crops, which have also fallen due to a lack of water in the country. That’s because there are various farms with illegal wells that have been shut down nationwide.
Spaniards have taken matters into their own hands in their attempt to irrigate their crops by digging illegal wells during the coronavirus pandemic, and since they’re on lockdown and not allowed to leave their properties, it has seemed like the best possible way to keep their crops alive. However, the Spanish government has blocked over 100 boreholes in the past few months in the area surrounding Lucena del Puerto, a town situated 70 kilometers from Seville, south of Spain. This area has been the leading location of groundwater theft in the country.
Residents and farm owners that have dug wells, have been trying to legalize it for over 40 years, but have failed to get support from the government. This has not only affected farmers and the livelihood of their crops, but also residents in the country who has noticed a decrease in fresh food options.
Illegal Drilling, a Commonality Act of Desperation
In Spain, just like in any other country in the world, it’s not recommended to break the law whatsoever. However, when farmers get desperate, it seems like groundwater that flows underneath their land, even though it doesn’t belong to them, doesn’t seem like a law they should keep at the expense of their crops dying. In 2019, officials found over 1,400 illegal boreholes and wells in the country, exploiting the desperation of many residents and farmers living in Spain. From 2006 up until now, there have been half a million illegal wells in the country, accounting for stolen water that could serve up to 118 million people.
Even though drought throughout the years has brought many challenges to the land, Spain as a country, apart from the coronavirus, is now facing a decline in its reserves, which government officials are trying to maintain by shutting down as many wells possible.
