1 00:00:04,799 --> 00:00:09,160 Nerva is one of the miners towns in the region of Río Tinto in Spain. 2 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,759 One of the biggest sky open copper mine in the world. 3 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:25,760 But, at only 800 meters of the houses of Nerva, there is one of the biggest dangerous waste dump in Europe. 4 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,879 The local nickname that describes it is the Toilet of Europe. 5 00:00:29,879 --> 00:00:36,679 A mountain of hundreds of thousands of toxic tons that come each year from many European countries. 6 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,240 The story of the Nerva Dump is the story of an announced absurdity 7 00:00:41,359 --> 00:00:46,880 of an unprecedented social, ecological and economic failure. 8 00:00:47,359 --> 00:00:50,880 They sold us the idea that the dump will be something fantastic, 9 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,920 the magical solution to the unemployment we are now suffering. 10 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,200 The dump is at 800 meters away from here, the center of the town, 11 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,600 and only at 500 meters of the first houses. 12 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,439 We have here the Río Tinto, something unique in the world, a jewel. 13 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:08,959 We asked for a referendum 14 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,519 We thought that our town did not deserve something like this. 15 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:19,920 For 25 years, the people of Nerve have received a staggering number of toxic waste tons 16 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:23,840 Many people here affirm that they have lost their smell sense. 17 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,200 We are in the landscape of Zarandas 18 00:01:27,439 --> 00:01:29,439 where the Dump is located. 19 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,159 This is a stream that comes directly from the dump facilities. 20 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:35,959 In these facilities we can see a big wall made of clay 21 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:40,120 It has a depth of 30 meters. 22 00:01:40,799 --> 00:01:42,799 It is fully stuffed. 23 00:01:43,159 --> 00:01:47,159 And now what we can notice is that the waste overflows 24 00:01:47,359 --> 00:01:50,280 And because of that they have covered them with a geo textile layer. 25 00:01:50,599 --> 00:01:54,200 In other words, what you see there is a mountain of waste. 26 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,120 There are between 8 and 10 million of toxic tons there. 27 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:00,480 And what we see right now is the toxic water that comes from the leaks of this facility. 28 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,079 These are leaks of polluted waters 29 00:02:03,879 --> 00:02:07,879 A court ruling affirms that these leaks are not a crime 30 00:02:07,879 --> 00:02:09,879 because the Río Tinto is already polluted. 31 00:02:10,759 --> 00:02:15,039 The company argues that they are only obliged to treat 32 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,280 only a 2 per cent of the first waters that are in contact with the dump. 33 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,879 they can evacuate the resting waters with no treatment directly to the Río Tinto. 34 00:02:22,759 --> 00:02:24,360 So what we are seeing here just right now 35 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,280 are polluted waters that goes directly to the Rio Tinto river. 36 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:30,240 This rivers flows into the city of Huelva. 37 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,400 So it means that these wastes are depositing into the sediments of Huelva City. 38 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:36,960 We are seeing the DSM facilities 39 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,000 We can see how the waste are coming here. 40 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,400 In this case, they were discharged from a ship that came from Montenegro and arrived yesterday. 41 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,439 These are dangerous waste, 5.300 tons only came yesterday. 42 00:02:46,439 --> 00:02:49,080 Tomorrow or in two days it will arrive another 9.000 tons more. 43 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:56,520 We get closed to the discharge site, how they handle these dangerous waste. 44 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,280 These are toxic sands from Montenegro 45 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,039 You can see the trucks 46 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,639 We are at only 700 meters of the town of Nerva. 47 00:03:10,599 --> 00:03:14,319 All the dust you can see flows in the direction of to Nerva Town and Río Tinto. 48 00:03:14,319 --> 00:03:17,120 just to the right of the scene. 49 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,400 We can see here how they clean the trucks of these toxic waste. 50 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,240 They use jet water. 51 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,759 Water that is also carried by the wind. 52 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:38,039 Also, at the background, we can see that some waste is self burning. 53 00:03:38,039 --> 00:03:40,879 Nobody cares for it. You can see clearly the smoke. 54 00:03:40,879 --> 00:03:43,879 This is how this toxic dump works. 55 00:03:44,479 --> 00:03:48,800 This is how they handle this safety deposit, and accordingly with the local Andalucía government and also the government of Spain 56 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:53,319 They are perfectly equipped to treat these tons of dangerous toxic waste, 57 00:03:53,319 --> 00:03:56,319 In this case, toxic sands. 58 00:03:57,919 --> 00:03:59,919 What is the utility of so many disappointments? 59 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:02,360 What is the utility of so many blows received? 60 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,199 So many humiliations? 61 00:04:04,719 --> 00:04:07,879 So many suffered abandonments? 62 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,439 30 years later, we still are exposed to the nearby million of tons 63 00:04:11,439 --> 00:04:14,240 of the worst most dangerous waste of the world. 64 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,079 before the helpless gaze of our elders increasingly defeated. 65 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:20,839 Without knowing how to explain to our children 66 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:22,800 so that a few can get rich 67 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,399 They destroyed our paradise. 68 00:04:26,399 --> 00:04:30,000 If you ask for studies to research the adverse consequences for our health 69 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,000 they call you an alarmist. 70 00:04:32,439 --> 00:04:35,079 We are even denied to have this right. 71 00:04:35,079 --> 00:04:37,079 Nerva did not deserve such this punishment. 72 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:47,480 Nerva is probably the nearest population center to a classified facility of very dangerous toxic waste 73 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,680 In the whole world. 74 00:04:54,399 --> 00:05:00,680 Spanish courts have dismissed all complaints from citizen associations. 75 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,079 There is no law in Spain that can protect them. 76 00:05:04,879 --> 00:05:10,560 For 25 years there has been no interest in conducting an epidemiological study in Nerva. 77 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:19,519 Political power has been turning a deaf ear to the concerns of its inhabitants for a quarter of a century. 78 00:05:22,319 --> 00:05:25,319 Is this doing the right thing?