“Green light for our first twenty million euro intervention plan for the water emergency in Sicily”. This was announced by the president of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani who has just received the communication from the national department of Civil Protection. The program prepared by the control room, led by the governor himself and coordinated by the head of the regional civil protection Salvo Cocina, provides for the refunctionalization of wells and springs, the purchase and installation of tankers, and the repair of some interconnection networks.
“I thank the National Civil Protection for the speed shown in approving our proposal – he added – Starting tomorrow, the offices will take action to urge the network managers and the Municipalities to prepare the projects and start the works, which in some cases have already started. At the same time, we are starting to work on a second intervention plan which will be financed with another twenty million euros, as guaranteed by Minister Musumeci on the occasion of the green light from the Council of Ministers for the national state of emergency. the Region has also done and will do its part. We have already allocated twenty million euros for the purchase of fodder for animals and for drinking water, and we will allocate the same amount for upcoming financial measures that the government will implement. in the next days”.
This same strategy of interventions against drought also includes the 90 million euros foreseen in the agreement on the FSC 2021-27 recently signed with Prime Minister Meloni, for the reactivation of the three desalination plants in Trapani, Gela and Porto Empedocle. The approved plan provides for 138 interventions to promote the water supply of the territories: construction of new wells, revamping and restoration of existing wells, construction of bypasses and connection pipelines, strengthening of lifting and pumping systems, created by the area companies and by some municipalities. Furthermore, just over two million euros, co-financed by the State (37.5%) and the Region (62.5%), were allocated to the purchase of eight new tankers and the repair of another 78 from Municipalities and Cities metropolitan.
“The regional government – concludes Schifani – is aware of the water emergency situation that Sicily is going through, due to the climatic conditions and the lack of planning in recent years, and for this reason we are on the alert every day. Thanks to the constant and continuous synergy between our offices and ministerial ones, in addition to the sensitivity shown by the national government, we are nevertheless confident in the rapid implementation of interventions that can mitigate the drought”.
