Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the town of Al-Qlailah, Southern Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strikes town of Harouf, Nabatieh district.
Factions' statement: The attendees agreed to support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement measures, including the withdrawal of the occupation and lifting the siege.
Factions' statement: Calling for an end to all forms of torture and violations against prisoners in occupation prisons and the necessity of obligating the occupation to do so.
Statement: The current moment is crucial, making the meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of our people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom.
Factions' statement: Call for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy.
Factions' statement: Continuing joint work to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause.
Statement of the factions: Emphasis on the unity of the Palestinian political system and the independent national decision.
Statement: Approval to establish an international committee to oversee the financing and implementation of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Statement: The committee is responsible for managing life and services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions, based on transparency and accountability.

Over-consumption, drought turn lake in vital Spanish wetland to puddle

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 6 Sep 2022 12:32
3 Min Read

Environmentalists report that the aquifer that feeds Doana National Park has been overexploited for tourists and for watering fruit fields.

  • x
  • Experts say the Santa Olalla lake has dried up for the third time in 50 years. Photograph: CSIC.
    Experts say the Santa Olalla lake has dried up for the third time in 50 years. (CSIC)

The largest permanent lake in Spain's Doana national park, one of Europe's largest and most important wetlands, has shrunk to the size of a puddle as years of drought and overexploitation have taken their toll on the aquifer that supplies the area and supports millions of migrating birds.

The Santa Olalla lake, which is located in a Unesco world heritage site, dried up for the third time in 50 years, according to scientists from Spain's National Research Council (CSIC).

“The Santa Olalla lake, the largest permanent lake in Doñana and the last one that still had water in August, has dried up,” the CSIC said in a statement. “In recent days, it has been reduced to a small puddle at its center, where there are now no aquatic birds.”

Read next: Spanish Stonehenge reappears as drought hits Spain

Water resources to Doana, whose marshes, woodlands, and dunes cover almost 130,000 hectares (320,000 acres) in the Andalucan provinces of Huelva, Seville, and Cádiz, have been dramatically reduced over the last 30 years due to climate change, farming, mining pollution, and marsh drainage.

Environmentalists have long advocated for the preservation of the area, which is also home to a significant population of endangered Iberian lynxes, arguing that illegal wells constructed to feed the region's numerous soft fruit farms were straining the aquifer.

Related News

Spain opens Sedinor case over steel used in Israeli weapons

Assange demands 20-year jail term for US-linked Spanish spy chief

The worst #drought in 500 years is hitting #Europe. Would this dangerous warning be enough for governments to act before it's too late?#ClimateCrisis pic.twitter.com/PTMTvWOUff

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 28, 2022

Their warnings, however, were ignored by rightwing MPs in the regional parliament, who voted earlier this year to "regulate" 1,461 hectares of land near the national park, allowing farmers who sank illegal wells and built illegal plantations on the site to legalize their operations.

“The continuous exploitation of the aquifer for intensive agriculture and human consumption – together with the dry years like this one – means that not only are the Doñana’s temporary lakes disappearing, its permanent ones are also under threat,” said the CSIC.

Read next: Bodies surfacing as water recedes at gangsters 'paradise', Lake Mead

According to the CSIC, the big yearly migration of summer visitors to the adjoining tourist resort of Matalascaas puts a significant strain on water resources. On August 31, a camera installed in the lake by the council revealed that it was "dry, parched, and cracked; reduced to a little puddle of water and sludge." But the next day, after many tourists had headed home, “a few springs were seen, suggesting the Doñana’s biggest permanent lake was being fed."

Revilla stated that water use in Matalascaas should be curtailed and restrictions enforced during drought years such as this one.

“You can’t keep watering the lawns in Matalascañas while the lakes of Doñana dry up completely,” he said.

  • Spain
  • Doana National Park

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Undated photo of Hanwha Ocean’s Goeje Shipyard in South Korea (Hanwha Ocean)
Politics

China counters US maritime bloc with sanctions on Hanwha Ocean

Catherine Connolly speaks after being after being elected as the new President of Ireland at Dublin Castle, Ireland, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Connolly wins Irish presidency in blow to political establishment

Buildings destroyed during the Israeli air and ground offensive are seen in the Al-Shati camp, in Gaza City, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP)
Politics

'Israel's' post-ceasefire demolitions in Gaza violate agreement: Hamas

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 7, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran’s Araghchi: Our nuclear bomb is resilience, not weapons

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS