Climate Politics
Spain Police Crack Down on Illegal Water Wells as Drought Bites
Mango and avocado farmers in Málaga are accused of digging 250 wells without permits to irrigate their fields.
Extremely low water levels on the exposed bed of the Rialb reservoir during a drought in La Baronia De Rialb, Spain in 2022.
Photographer: Angel Garcia/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Spanish police arrested 26 people for allegedly digging illegal water wells to irrigate tropical fruit fields in the southern province of Málaga.
The arrests came after an investigation in which officials found 250 out of 299 water wells in the area of Axarquía, known for its mango and avocado plantations, were illegal, the police said in a statement on Tuesday. The people arrested were accused of crimes against the environment and causing damages to state-owned waters of over 10 million euros ($11 million).