discoverable. subscribe to the documentary to. know that our guardian angel will help to ensure our son will be rescued or. recall a. 2 year old you lent died after falling it was 70 meters deep pool hall that had been drilled illegally the rescue attempt was broadcast around the world tragedy to attention to an increasingly serious problem in spain widespread illegal extraction of water. right up from the tragic

people it's time to put a stop to the drilling of illegal boreholes which amounts to stealing a public asset you believe. it's thought there are over a 1000000 illegal boreholes in spain often called moonshine wells because they drilled at night they used to help irrigate grown here in one of the driest corners of europe and exported to the rest of the continent. no one wants to take responsibility i doubt anything will change unfortunately gay know what's the. nature at its most. national park south of seville is a unesco world heritage site and a stopover for millions of miles a true birds traveling between europe and africa but it's surrounded by agricultural activity that is sucking at try. demand for water poses

a threat to this natural paradise and the legal wells are exacerbating the problem he says he. is essential for biodiversity for the park's wetlands and fauna but it's also essential for the local economy which revolves around intensive farming. but the problem is in the last 30 years that farming has led to illegal extraction of water and that has a serious impact on the park's marshes and lagoon after the groundwater levels of 4 . so the water balance in doing on a national park has been altered. we're destroying it. for the new owner. he. has been fighting to protect anjana national park for 16

years the agricultural engineer comes from the region and has made the campaign against illegal wells his life's mission he uses satellite imaging to locate newly drilled for holes and illegal agriculture. as well as marshall fields these are oficial government maps may show legal agricultural areas. it is it's a map that's available to the general public. so what do we do we end our experts look for unauthorized farmers zoom in and identify areas where crops are being cultivated you. know the failure is this and this and this or all know if we pass our findings on to the authorities and report the illegal zones when we identify anything suspicious we go and check it out and one of them i will write a book. but

the activist says the authorities off a little help in the fight to protect the region's natural environment reporting illegal wells and farms usually goes nowhere it's deeply frustrating. forgot about a good thing we see that crops are being cultivated here at this farm suddenly appeared about 2 years ago. it was right next to the road but it's not being shut down even though everyone knows it's here. it's been reported to the water authority i didn't get a computer if you got anything yet. illegal farming and authorities to turn a blind eye despite the fact there are clear rules on irrigation practices laid out in a water management plan that farmers n.g.o.s and local authorities spend 7 years debating . on that but all

the andalusia in parliament approved the plan in december 2014 illegal farming must be stopped and we hope this happens. i think. that will connect. in these areas of cultivation have sprouted up over the last. 30 years and there was no local oversight local council simply allowed this boom in illegal farming to happen. it seems to me so that i could clean things you know my. around here on a national park water is used mainly to irrigate strawberry plantations the region for juice is approximately one 3rd of strawberries grown in europe. strawberry production is a major source of employment 80000 people in the living in the sector including

many small holders and their families local environmental activists who are against the practice are often denounced as traitors. what about going to look into the no this is an illegal war at all there are roughly a 1000 of them and don't wanna we have these are especially agree just because we're in the middle of a protected forest but there are 60 illegal wells here alone for extracting water from rivers or longs and no wetlands thank you dan that i walk. about and it's shocking because you can even see the fields when but out of fear 567 kilometers away. they run lines from here to the farms and often they lay kilometers of electric cables to right through the forest without any kind of permanent or safety precautions but we have thought for the palestinian people there's a high risk of forest fires this is been going on for 10 years or so you know what if it's scandalous. and not it went up but often.

i. mean i think if you look at it's tricky trying to follow the pipes because they disappear into the ground reappear and then disappear again we if you think that i would be watching the. it was and i said you know this is in illegal reservoir you know wooded area. you know it's illegal you can install a reservoir here you know. each of these pipes is a well made but if it doesn't take a little bit of and you can clearly see that they're in operation. i found it we got a phone at the at the idea that what you gave the water from about 14 wells in the vicinity used collected here and pumped 2 farms that aren't even close by. no siree most often this is one of the most flagrant examples of the kind of illegal

activity we've been fighting for years. it's high time we took a step forward and put a stop to water thank you. i know there are a growing number of locals and the european commission are pushing for the european court of justice has opened proceedings against the spanish government in connection with water theft and done with it what i want to. monoculture is a by no means for strictly titania on a national park the agricultural sector is essential thirst for water is transforming the andalusian landscape as a ground water supply is by no means guaranteed. a turning contractor luis montenegro's business is thriving a test costs around 2000 euros but it's

a risky investment for his clients and there's a long wait for a permit from the water authority. is it when a farmer submit said trailing project to the authorities. it can take up to 8 or 9 months to get a reply. that's just unacceptable the water authority takes ages but farmers need to irrigate their crops if they can't they lose their harvests if you know. and then the families and farms end up ruined the media. and. what often happens is the farmers opt not to pay for an approved drilling. because what happens if no water is found. there is no well and the bore hole has to be referred. to take it up by the way don't you know the above them. the upshot

farmers often drill boreholes without official permits along with the costs of drilling submitting an application and commissioning of requisite geological surveys can cost around a $1000.00 euros here in central angelou's all of pharma antonio's wife has even resorted to divine ing rod they need water urgently their trees are hard hit by climate change the dry season is getting longer and longer. a. lot of that going to the trees get no water there will be no olives. obviously we have to use water before the official permit comes through that's just how it is. the drilling contractor is pessimistic tomorrow the company will try again at a different spot you know her way out that you can't see a thing just a black hole there's no water and if there was the soil would be more sed here in

the region there's very little water that's the wrong sort of bedrock out while the radio highly of the people at the end of. the month try and extract a lot of water groundwater levels are falling you see natural gas everyone wants a private pool the agricultural sectors demand for water is growing. here in southern europe we depend on farming people that are going to be good archaeological the farming sector that helped the country survive the most recent financial crisis. get a lot from them during the financial crisis that left spain reeling farming was indeed one of the few stable sectors but its growth is now reaching its limit phillipe of sas from the world wide fund for nature wants to see the sec to manage water resources more sustainably. we are on our way to a citrus fruit farm that we work with you got that it's the 1st farm in europe to

be certified according to a system that manages water consumption sustainable. daily monitoring is absolutely essential it's about respecting a commodity that everyone wants to have water which is in short supply in this farm is proof positive that water consumption can be realistically reduced you can get a full bottle so that what. the. consumers have an important role to play but if you think oh they decide which product they buy that they need to ask for the product comes from and if found somewhere with a water shortage that's where i'm portland. or so. but make other supermarkets also decide where they buy their produce from they can check whether it's all sounds and that's what the water authority map is for but if

everything's above board great you see what i'm the philip pestilent of science is here to inspect the plantation luis but is one of the 1st farmers whose working living you want to certification scheme he supplies a major german supermarket chain with organic oranges his plantation is massive producing 12000 tonnes of oranges per year morsi is safe with the help of the census system it can make stars on the air quality animations changes in the plants crucially senses in the ground control a drip irrigation system ensuring that the water is distributed around the crops roots and doesn't simply trickle away little portable field so we maximize efficiency with a drip irrigation system and censors. you middle we don't waste any water and we add fertilizer to the water which doesn't seeped into the groundwater and contaminate it with nitrates. i mean i'm a lot. that helps us

a lot but it's revolutionary when i get on. we use 20 percent less water all around the harvest so the same goes for human i mean michael said just. so you know good morning everyone hello how you doing carmen good. you know and idea i'm very. how's it looking great we're getting a lot from every tree. of that if. it doesn't all. 135140 kilos poetry where you've worked on it and the quality of the fruit well. you know.

it's. good because it's nice and dense. delicious what you. get when. it could there's hardly any pulp. from the end there will not be turn open the gate. and. more land is placing his trust in nature he's cut down on herbicides and pesticides and his promotion a process of rematch ration insects and birds keep the crops free of pests the

farmer is reacting to the growing demand for organic produce and also for water footprint certification lead. me to get one just look at that that's our eagle are over there by the power cable . it's a benelli 0. 0. you never used to see a bird like that. and now without even making much of a change just minimising the use of toxins so as not to destroy its environment it's back. some farmers thought i was crazy they'd ask why are you doing that. you're putting your whole farm at risk.

but now 5 years on. worked hard and they see it works. now everybody wants to do what i did it all. agricultural revolution of the 21st century has begun. no doubt about it. that over there is no longer our farm look at the difference. you know it's like another world. i call it the desert your your money so that's chernobyl for me yes . but i mean it's a generally. this

is because that's their idea of state of the art agriculture that people will know that. you respond is fortunate because he gets the water he needs for his plantation from a canal assigned to him by the water authority so he's never needed to drill a well if there's one thing he knows is that the future depends on sustainable management of water resources. they. need to realize that the point of saving water isn't to expand irrigation areas. separate. what we save must be set aside for the dry season wondering on ciggy or return to the rivers. there are real numbers that get out if we cannot save water just so other farmers can water even more but the real target for not that only exacerbates the problem more land more

consumption my think. i. see. it says. recent years have seen the popularity of the avocadoes sole demand for this sub tropical fruit has risen the 150 percent in the last decade but that has a downside for farmers are eager to cash in but avocado production is highly water intensive and is worsening the water process inspiring. it takes 270 liters of water to grow just one of a card out of spain is affectively exporting its water resources in the form of

fruit i. hardly ever around is president of the spanish association of tropical fruit produces. we're going off to have a game of it was ok so the avocado isn't native to spain but nora bananas only all of the trees and night it without a pot it's adapted perfectly to the climate will come of it you can see how well avocados grow here why shouldn't they be cultivated here quickly and often where the plant that i work up for harvests get bigger every year in 28 in spain exported 97000 tonnes of avocados found my local if they think that environmental activists are always attacking tropical fruit fama some of the weekend they think we're destroying everything in the world in the i don't understand their issue where they're against their own

people and. i really don't want to destroy anything that we've got. we're helping the country people by providing them with jobs. for the other thing we could grow twice as much but there isn't enough water on there wasn't. for the pharmacy association growth is the top priority any water they say thanks to modern irrigation systems gets used to expand their plantations there also came to more rivers and drill boreholes much higher elevations they say they had. been left with no choice but to act outside. the water authority used to have a lot of officers here but now there are only 4 people left. we the others only moved to the headquarters in seville. now there's a new administration we hope the situation will start to improve for 12 years the

author did not think that that meant that no one even looked at our proposals. they never replied he wasn't even that they were slow they did nothing at all. because i want to thank you. philippa for one tells us also has problems with bureaucracy. the water management plan approved in 2014 has yet to be implemented he's hoping that things will start to move at the water authority because what's happening into yana potentially contravenes his water directive and that could jeopardize agricultural subsidies and today he's here to talk to the president of the water authority ok double what it would do all the farmers and under lose you know exactly how much water they can use and where it comes from to help develop the water management plan it doesn't but if you buy that it is available but some farmers have resorted to drastic measures to impede the authorities work in the end

you know that at the end because i mean there it was on september 29th you're on the same day that representatives of the european commission were in madrid. to talk to the government about the water problem and you don't know which. one of my employees was threatened by farmers who were illegally extracting water. he wouldn't. been intimidated by a whatsapp group and we cannot let this sort of thing happen. it's difficult. because these people are often neighbors the ones who object to do it broadcast really tact. because we're trying to stop illegal water extraction and then. we did the most about it i was with will look for the money you know where. the water authorities inspectors task is

a highly delicate one given the pharmacy hostility they're now accompanied by the police they reluctantly agreed to being filmed on condition they can't be identified fear of being recognised by the neighbors is too great. let's have a look at the reservoir see how many well supplied record the g.p.s. data. you are telling and take some more photos. of today they're inspecting more than 60 illegal bore holes in the forest many farmers see them as backstabbers. let's go take a look. if we can't open it it's locked. but why are we going in. here because it's locked. you know the person who set this up for instance and locked it in so no one could fall and. there's nothing more we

can do and all we inspect. everything else is up to the government the water all 30 in the courts. you know what. the water authority is powerless it has no mandate to intervene and is incapacitated by break. so let's get a few pictures of the lock. of the water coming out. so we can show that the wells are functional. on our look for the wells where the water is coming from. what you know back there must be a well the water from the pipe there must be coming from a well over there here over there but. the water from the illegal bore

holes feeds into the illegal pipeline network i mean although they drilled under cover of darkness traces are often left behind when. you got a look at the cars drive along here so there must be something up their trip to get out. of this have a look. here pipes and over there to. the ecological local. public local here's the fuse box. it's operating. at the time to look to get him out the pipes must come from other well so that may come together here handy to the reservoir that he if. it was. we followed their path as about 6 kilometers of pipe and houses then there's

a point where they go into the ground and a little further on they reappear. a lot and they split into 6 different lights. it's impossible to follow where they lead them laughing a little bit with these 3 go into the reservoir a lot of them will get lucky if you know once they leave the reservoir you can track them and it's not that hard for 7 people see a little further proof that no one bothers to monitor the situation properly even though the tragic death of the toddler last year. to win this of the widespread problem of the legal ball halls and water theft. if someone feels a little to do with a tragedy with your land it was a wake up call i mean the number of illegal wells that are reported has risen since it happened this one has a diameter of about $25.00 centimeters so it's about the size of the well that your land fell into sometime later a man with a dog also fell into a ball everyone is now aware of the danger it's not just animals or controlling

people do to please. no there's water the bottom. god it's not our job to cover the ball all the while i think you. even when confronted with the obvious dangers of the instinct is a powerless to act with over a 1000000 illegal wells in spain solving this problem is a matter of growing urgency. instead of 1st group who could have been alive from the shit out of us our city and

out the dinosaurs. in support of. what's evil but ever over. to the river. 2 level we were there are you know we are now 80 percent of americans at some point in our lives will experience hardship and listen all. that matters to. the minds. can i am. stick close to splay still hallums use. nice cheese and the pink. i don't doubt all the story. starts january 27th on d w. this

is v.w. news wire from berlin tonight a royal wait and see britain's queen elizabeth agrees to a transition period for prince harry and his wife meghan well that means the couple will be allowed to live part time in canada but the monarch says more work must be done but the decision to step back as a senior voyles raises complex issues that will affect the future of the house of windsor also coming out of a violent crackdown against protesters in iran police fired tear gas and people are wounded as did.