Water has become one of the most contested resources in Spain , generating a growing number of environmental and social conflicts. In recent years, scarcity, pollution, and inadequate management of water resources have led to tense situations affecting both nature and local communities. In response to this situation, a pioneering tool has been launched: the Water Conflict Map , developed by Ecologists in Action, which provides a comprehensive overview of the severity and extent of these problems.
This resource aims to highlight and raise awareness about the impact of industrial, agricultural, and urban development activities that jeopardize the quality and availability of water in rivers, aquifers, and wetlands. The initiative stems from the need to centralize the dispersed information regarding the struggles, campaigns, and complaints carried out by citizen groups and platforms in defense of aquatic ecosystems, thus providing key data for both civil society and public administrations.
What is the Water Conflict Map?
The Water Conflict Map is an interactive online platform that compiles documented cases of water-related environmental problems in various provinces of Spain. Each point on the map represents a specific case, identifying the type of impact, the exact location, the responsible parties, and the actions being taken to address the situation. In many cases, links to further information , photographs, and details about the institutional response are also included.
Pollution from urban and industrial waste , the construction of large hydraulic infrastructures, overexploitation linked to intensive irrigation, and the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides are some of the most frequent threats identified in the tool. Furthermore, the map is constantly being updated and expanded, reflecting the evolving nature of these problems.
Origin and objectives of the initiative
The map's design draws inspiration from other similar projects , both national and international, dedicated to depicting the territorial distribution of environmental and social conflicts (such as the EJAtlas, focused on global environmental justice, or the Collaborative Map of Water Conflicts in Andalusia). The main goal is to highlight the magnitude of the damage suffered by aquatic ecosystems and, at the same time, to raise awareness of the work of citizen and environmental platforms fighting on the ground.
The aim is not only to provide essential data for research and activism, but also to offer practical examples of mobilization and resistance against projects that threaten water sustainability. Furthermore, the map seeks to foster cooperation among groups and serve as a reference point for holding public administrations accountable.
Main conflicts shown on the map
Within the map of water conflicts, cases of nitrate and pesticide pollution, industrial and urban runoff, and overexploitation due to irrigation and intensive livestock farming predominate . A particularly relevant example is that of reservoirs contaminated by abandoned mining operations, which prevent any agricultural or human use of the water due to the presence of heavy metals and acidic runoff.
Other common problems include the expansion of industrial crops at the expense of small producers, the pressure of tourism on aquifers in fragile areas (as occurs on many islands), and institutional permissiveness towards projects considered strategic that, without sufficient environmental controls, contribute to the degradation of ecosystems.
The map also incorporates less well-known conflicts at the national level, but of great importance at the local level, demonstrating that most of these problems have deep eco-social roots and respond to the same mechanism of intensive exploitation of natural resources.
This resource can be a valuable tool for understanding and analyzing the current water situation in Spain, facilitating the identification of priority areas for action and promoting citizen participation in the defense of water resources.
