Rome, 10 June. (askanews) – In Puglia the basins are emptied of 5 million cubic meters of water weekly, with a water deficit of -150 million cubic meters of water: a lack of water that is putting all crops at risk, from wheat to vegetables, from fruit to dry pastures for which there is no animal feed in the stables. It is Coldiretti Puglia that returns to denounce the critical scenario for farmers and breeders.
In Puglia, the areas at risk of desertification are equal to 57% of the regional territory due to the persistent and frequent drought phenomena, where 89% of the rain that falls is lost due to infrastructure deficiencies and sieve networks. “An unacceptable waste for a precious asset also in light of climate changes which – continues Coldiretti – are profoundly modifying the distribution and intensity of rainfall also on the national territory”.
The problem concerns the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Lecce, but also the province of Taranto. 1000 liters of water should be supplied every day from the San Giuliano reservoir in Basilicata which often does not arrive and the supply either appears in fits and starts or is not activated, while in the fields there is a prolonged drought which has already manifested itself since the winter last year and there was no planning by the Reclamation Consortium.
For the water crisis scenario caused by drought, Coldiretti Puglia has also reported the condition of the wells that are malfunctioning and broken or half-serviced due to the lack of personnel, for which reason it urges ARIF to immediately restore the functioning of the artesian wells in the countryside of Noci, in Toritto and Palo del Colle.
