In relation to the collapse of harvests in the agricultural sector in Sicily, due to drought and the funds that will be allocated to the sector, the government must guarantee maximum transparency. A sector that must be supported and at the center of the Region’s strategic investments which must take into account the areas most affected by the phenomenon. We cannot afford to lose our farms and waste resources that could be effective, declares Gabriella Caramanica, National Secretary of the political party Animal Ecologist Revolution – REA
For years now, the drought in Sicily and other Italian regions has become a natural disaster for which we should have prepared earlier and which today requires acceleration.
On the table there are 35 million euros promised by Minister Francesco Lollobrigida to the agriculture sector in Sicily. Of which 15 million from the National Solidarity Fund to compensate businesses as a result of damage suffered due to drought phenomena and another 20 million from the Agriculture Decree, in relation to the water deficit of the Sicilian Region, to support the first interventions in the area.
We work on the restoration and maintenance of systems to convey rainwater and avoid dispersion which in some cases is 100% so that we can guarantee the water supply which can rely on 26 large dams, controlled by the Region. Ten dams are awaiting testing, three out of operation and 5 with limitations for safety reasons. According to estimates, only the system of these dams would cover the island’s needs. What are we waiting for? Caramanica comments. Added to this is the opportunity to build desalination plants. Around the world, viable irrigation systems with this type of technology have been created in areas where water is scarce.
We must avoid collapsing the island’s productive fabric. Considering the now well-known problems of the region and the new law on Differentiated Autonomy, we must understand how these funds will be managed and what the criteria will be for distributing the resources and to which companies, also increasing controls. In this sense, the role of the State which must guarantee homogeneous development is essential. The Government, in concert with the Sicilian Region, must start a table or a commission to ensure a plan for the allocation of resources and restoration of the systems associated with innovative systems, otherwise we risk once again making a hole in the water. The National Secretary concludes.
