The Gernika Court has launched an investigation into the Busturialdea Water Consortium to determine whether by 2020 the Mape River had been dried more than necessary to address the water shortage in the surroundings. Ecologist group Eguzki denounced in 2021 that a year earlier they had extracted more water from the river necesaria.El Busturialdea Water Consortium is now dependent on the Bilbao Bizkaia Water Consortium (BUP) after its dissolution in 2021.

The Prosecutor ' s Office has initiated a judicial process to examine whether the river abandoned the flow permitted by law, which may endanger its fauna and flora. Eguzki explained that the Mape River is part of the Place of Community Importance of Urdaibai (LIC), so the drying of the river is "an action against a channel of great environmental importance".

The environmental organization adds that this ecological crime is no exception, since it is not the first time it occurs and there has also been an excess of water in the surrounding areas. It denounces that the institutions have not taken the necessary measures against water scarcity in the area for years.

water scarcity in Busturialdea

In some towns of Busturialdea the problem of water scarcity is ancestral.Se produced mainly in the months of August and September, due to the reduced availability of water due to low rainfall and increased tourist demand. Although in the rest of the year the water on the Map is sufficient to meet the demand for water, in times of drought it only covers 20 per cent of the needs. Even less if the ecological flow to be maintained is taken into account, in these cases it is only able to cover 10% of total demand.