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The flames may be fading, but the emergency is far from over. As storms begin sweeping across the peninsula and rain falls on blackened mountainsides, environmental experts are warning that Spain is now entering a second and potentially devastating phase of its worst wildfire summer in recent memory: the era of black rivers.

 

This summer's fires have been catastrophic in scale. According to the Ministry for Ecological Transition, 262,030 hectares had been burned as of Sunday August 23, with recent satellite images suggesting the total could already be approaching 297,000 hectares.

 

The country has watched its forests burn from Huelva to Catalonia, with multiple major emergencies declared and thousands of people evacuated over the course of the summer. Huelva's Niebla fire alone threatened to become the worst environmental disaster in Andalucía's history. 

 

Now, as the rains arrive, those hundreds of thousands of bare and unprotected hectares have no capacity to slow or filter water as it runs off the hillsides. What follows is a torrent of sediment, ash, charcoal and organic matter that can cause serious and lasting damage to the ecosystems it reaches. "The impact of the fire is not over," experts warn. "Another emergency is beginning and will end in our rivers, reservoirs, farmland and even homes if we don't act in time: these are black rivers."

 

The consequences are broad and alarming. Water flowing into reservoirs that supply towns and cities could compromise drinking water quality. Irrigation water used to grow crops could carry pollutants into the food chain. Wildlife, unlike people, has little ability to protect itself from contaminated water sources.

 

Recovery will be slow. Experts estimate that burned soils will take between one and five years to begin regaining partial function, and significantly longer to recover full fertility. In the meantime, urgent preventive work is needed: brushwood barriers, earthworks, terraces and embankments are all essential tools for slowing runoff and limiting erosion before winter rains set in properly.

 

Spain has been battling wildfires on multiple fronts since the summer began, with the scale of the crisis prompting emergency declarations and mass evacuations across several regions. The institutions have been widely criticised for having insufficient resources, both in terms of firefighting capacity and longer-term planning.

 

The broader picture is one that climate scientists have been pointing to for years. Mediterranean sea temperatures are running around seven degrees above normal, Atlantic waters around six. Wildfires are burning hotter and faster than ever. Even harvests are shifting, with grapes being picked in August rather than September and olive groves expected to follow suit.

 

The mountains, stripped bare and vulnerable, are waiting for a response.

 

 

Images: Engin Akyurt and Brett Sayles/Pexels