Genoa – Drought alarm: the artificial lake of Brugneto, today, has five million cubic meters of water less than in the same period a year ago. And, even more alarming: the current level – 16 and a half million cubic meters of water present – was reached last year at the end of July. Today, therefore, Brugneto has the quantity of water that in 2022 was present in mid-summer or almost. And rain and snow forecast for the next few days will hardly be decisive.
The sos now triggered throughout Italy does not leave Liguria unscathed. And the regional councilor for Civil Protection Giacomo Raul Giampedrone lashed out on the times: «Minister Nello Musumeci is right, today more than ever a national plan on drought and climate change is essential».
The main overgrown Brugneto is used for drinking in the Liguria region which, at full capacity, approximately 25 million cubic meters with a useful usable volume of 20 million cubic meters. Today the basin is about 66 percent of the maximum volume that can be filled, “a value that is very low for the season – the Liguria Region points out – the main cause? It’s the low rainfall of the last year».
To the data provided by Iren, the Gorzente lake system however, it stands at cubic meters similar to those of February a year ago. On the other hand, Brugneto and the Val Noci reservoir suffer the most: the latter today is just over one million cubic meters of water (1,079,000) while on 23 February a year ago it was more than double (2,326,000 cubic meters of water).
«The Brugneto reservoir is the water of Genoa – the regional councilor Giampedrone points out again – and these 5 million cubic meters of water less, now, when we are not even in March it is a fact that cannot but worry us. It’s raining less and less and it’s enough to mention two things: in 2022 we didn’t even have an orange or red rain alert and, in these almost first three months of 2023, only one orange alert night was triggered. The situation can no longer be tackled with emergency measures: structural work is needed, such as the one we are carrying out with 27.5 million euros of funds obtained for the Roia aqueduct”.
In the summer of 2022, the regional Ligurian Civil Protection intervened with 6 million euros. «We need the national overall and structural plan – reiterates the councilor Giampedrone – for works to counteract the losses of the pipes, which in Liguria do not exceed 20 percent and for new reservoirs, new dams ».
For Iren, the comforting fact «is that in any case, thanks to the rationalization of withdrawals from the various sources and the strong reduction in losses, we still need to introduce much less water into the network than in the past, and therefore the reserves are destined to last longer long”. To give concrete figures: from the over 85 million cubic meters of water introduced in 2016, it fell to just over 71 million in 2021. «And during the winter season we draw as much water as possible from flowing sources, such as the Scrivia, managing thus to conserve the water of the lakes for the summer season».
Among the curious cases, there is that of Calizzano: site of one of the main establishments for the production of mineral water, it is also the only one – out of 69 municipalities in the Savona area – to have an ordinance in force against the waste of water . In La Spezia Acam Acque is carefully monitoring the situation. The first areas to suffer from water shortages will be the Cinque Terre and the Riviera, together with the Val di Vara, with the arrival of tourists and vacationers.
Little rain and little snow: in Val d’Aveto half of it fell compared to the average. Areas of the Levant that are evaluating possible works on the Giacopiane dam, used by Tirreno Power to produce electricity.
In the Imperia area, Coldiretti warned of drought and consequent damage to agriculture: «We are now facing lasting climate change. Countermeasures are needed immediately, starting with the design of the announced mini-reservoirs along the streams to create water reserves for irrigation”.
(Laura Ivani collaborated)
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