How nitrate water pollution is posing a threat to people and ecosystems in Spain

How clean is Europe's water? It's estimated around half of Europe's rivers, lakes and coastal waters contain dangerous substances. In Spain, the pollution from pig farms poses a threat to both people and local ecosystems.

Zamora in Spain is just one of several provinces where the tap water is contaminated. Emilia Román was born here and in the past year she has travelled around the region to regularly measure the quantity of nitrates in drinking water and groundwater sources.

I accompanied her to the village of Santovenia. She had come with a nitrate metre to check the tap water of her friend, Sonsoles. Emilia is a member of a residents’ network created by Greenpeace to monitor water quality in Spain’s rural areas.

“We use this little tool to make three measurements," Emilia told me.

"You put tap water here and then you read the result,” she explained.

The three measurements on Sonsoles’ tap water were all above the legal threshold. Emilia and Sonsoles are worried because high levels of nitrates can increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects and even cancer. They are angry, because they know what and who is to blame.

“It’s very clear what is contaminating the water. It’s intensive farming and those who are dumping waste in the fields,” said Sonsoles. “Nitrates coming from manure filter into groundwater and pollute it.”

The water contamination problem has become so bad that it's become a national scandal. Locals have accused the authorities of not doing enough and regularly take to the streets to protest against the large pig farms.

“The problem with the mega farms is that they are invading us. There are 600,000 pigs in Zamora. This is unbearable. It’s an unsustainable industry.” said Luís de Nicolás Latorre, a spokesperson