After the declaration of the national state of emergency and the allocation of 20 million euros from Rome, a sum strongly criticized by the opposition, the largest part of the interventions arrives.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport announced a remodulation of the funds: “Good news for all Sicilians: thanks to the funds obtained from the MIT as part of the remodulation of the Pnrr, 113.5 million euros are arriving for Sicily. This is foreseen by the directorial decree of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport which allocates 1 billion euros for our country for the reduction of losses in water distribution networks and for their digitalisation and monitoring. This intervention will significantly reduce the waste of drinking water while modernizing the distribution networks. With Salvini and with the League, concrete and rapid responses to the needs of our territory” says the Undersecretary of Labor Claudio Durigon, coordinator of the League in Sicily, in an official note.
The statement by the Council of Ministers
Just two days ago it was decided to declare a state of water emergency for the duration of a year with associated extraordinary interventions in Sicily. The Council of Ministers had approved a national state of emergency due to the drought on the island, as requested in recent days by the regional council, for a duration of 12 months, allocating the first 20 million euros, with the possibility of increasing resources in short times already during the implementation of the first interventions. The President of the Region also participated in the meeting at Palazzo Chigi.
The Sicilian government has already sent all the necessary documentation to Rome, drawing up a list of the interventions necessary to reduce the effects of the crisis due to the lack of rain. The solutions proposed by the control room, led by the governor and coordinated by the head of the regional civil protection, are differentiated based on the implementation times.
The measures that will be adopted
Among those quickly implemented, the purchase of new tankers in municipalities in crisis and the arrangement of other vehicles in around a hundred local authorities; approximately 130 interventions including regeneration of existing wells, drilling of twin wells and reactivation of abandoned ones, in addition to the revamping of around thirty springs; the strengthening of pumping systems and pipelines; the construction of new interconnection and bypass pipelines.
For the next few months, however, we are evaluating the restructuring and restarting of the desalination plants of Porto Empedocle, in the Agrigento area, and of Trapani, operations that will require longer times and tender procedures, as there are no substantial exceptions in environmental and procurement matters above the community threshold.
Nine tables in the individual provinces with the Civil Engineers
At the same time, the regional Civil Protection department has established nine technical tables in the Civil Engineering offices of the capitals of each province, with representatives of the Water Department, the Reclamation Consortia, and the Basin Authority. The tables identified and selected the interventions according to priority and will then proceed to monitor the implementation phases. Furthermore, several meetings have already been held with Siciliacque, Aica Agrigento, Caltacque and Acque Enna.
Schifani’s satisfaction
“I thank the government for the sensitivity shown and Minister Musumeci for the allocation of the first 20 million euros and for the commitment to implement the resources quickly in the wake of a close collaborative relationship between the Region and the national government” declared the governor Renato Schifani at the end of the Council of Ministers.
