Ash and mud from wildfires poison rivers and disrupt water supplies in Spain

Several areas of Ourense, in the autonomous region of Galicia in northwestern Spain, currently have no access to clean and safe drinking water due to wildfires this summer. The water crisis has been caused by heavy rainfall washing down the remains of the 119,000 hectares burned in the autonomous community. Rivers have become polluted, and the water supply system in Valdeorras has been affected.

According to the Spanish newspaper El Debate, the Xunta de Galicia and many volunteers have tried over the past few months to prevent burned soil from ending up in rivers and aquifers. They spread layers of straw across the most affected hillsides to protect the soil from rain impact. This technique helps to absorb water, slow down runoff, and trap ash and sediment before they reach streams and rivers. In some areas, they built temporary barriers or drainage channels to redirect or slow down surface water and prevent soil erosion. Unfortunately, these efforts were not enough to prevent the pollution of drinking water after it started raining. Water use now has to be restricted.

Bottled water has been distributed

“As long as it keeps raining, we can’t clean the catchments,” warn local authorities quoted in the newspaper. The authorities have been forced to shut off the water intake to the main reservoir to prevent mud and debris from clogging the system. Bottled water has been distributed at several locations for residents. In Somoza, they were lucky to fill the reservoir before the situation worsened, but they still fear running out of water.

Environmental emergency

The contaminated water is one of the consequences of the wildfires last August in the Valdeorras region. Since mid-October, after the first heavy rains, several villages have been facing problems with their drinking water. “It’s a huge inconvenience and hardship for residents and families, who can’t drink tap water, shower, or wash themselves, and have to buy bottled water,” says Jesús Dorado, president of a neighborhood association in Arcos, Vilamartín. Some affected residents are moving to other homes or staying with relatives and friends in municipalities not under restrictions to meet their basic needs. “Being without drinking water is an environmental emergency,” says Dorado.