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ARCHIVED - Major farming concerns called to give evidence in illegal irrigation investigation
3.8 billion litres of contaminated water are thought to have been allowed to run into the Mar Menor
The managers and owners of 21 large crop farming concerns in the Campo de Cartagena have been called to give evidence to Instructing Judge Ángel Garrote in relation to alleged irregular practices which are thought to have contributed to the deterioration in the water quality of the Mar Menor.
This case is being brought after an operation on 1st April this year in which the Seprona wildlife protection wing of the Guardia Civil collaborated with experts from the Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura to inspect 67 agricultural concerns, resulting in the closure of 38 unauthorized desalination facilities and 35 boreholes which had been drilled inorder to extract water from the aquifer which lies beneath the flat countryside. At the time of the operation some of the facilities were actually in use and were found hidden under the ground and perfectly camouflaged to avoid detection from the air.
This unprecedented raid on farming concerns was sparked by the analysis of documents seized early in 2018 from the company Insal SL, which had supplied desalination units to agricultural businesses in the area along with chemical substances, filters and membranes in order to make it possible to treat the brackish water extracted and make it suitable for irrigation. From these documents the Guardia Civil have been able to calculate the approximate amount of water treated in each case, reaching a figure of 15.2 million cubic metres: if this is correct, the implication is that the waste product from the process consisted of 3.8 million cubic metres of contaminated water which, after returning to the aquifer, will have made its way into the Mar Menor.
That equates to 3,800,000,000,000 litres of water containing harmful substances.
Those who have been called on to give evidence will appear before Judge Garrote during November, many of them having opted to remain silent when questioned earlier in the year by the Guardia Civil.
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