CATANIA – Work by the Catania Reclamation Consortium to temporarily channel the waters of the Simeto river downstream of the Ponte Barca crossing, where there are leaks from the flood gates, will begin next Monday and will last three days. This was established by the control room for the water emergency, led by the president of the Sicilian Region, pending the definitive repairs already financed by the regional Civil Protection and for which an intervention that will last approximately two months will be necessary.
The temporary diversion does not require works with an environmental impact and will allow approximately 600 liters of water per second to be released into some areas of the Catania Plain, through the canals of the Reclamation Consortium, a supply that will also be available in the summer months. This operation will allow farmers in the area to partially overcome the serious irrigation problems affecting the area, where the reservoirs are almost empty and where in stable conditions the supply is around 3,000 liters of water per second.
The plan to carry out the works has already obtained authorization from the Civil Engineers and the Basin Authority who, in recent days, have carried out inspections and involves moving earth downstream in the riverbed to be able to channel the water inside of an adductor that will bring the water to the irrigation area.
