Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) Via Acton will remain closed for a week and at the moment also the Sorrento state road. It is not yet known for how long. A seaside restaurant, seriously damaged by the waterfall that arrived this morning due to the bursting of the Gori water main, and two families have been evacuated. The beaches located on Via Acton will remain isolated and will therefore have to wait for the road to reopen and checks on the situation hydrogeological.
This morning, near State Road 145, in the municipality of Castellammare di Stabia, the DN 600 supply pipe broke, in a particularly impervious position, which transports water to the Sorrento peninsula and Capri.
The Gori technicians ensured the interruption of the water flow, made the area safe and started the repair works. To allow these interventions, the water supply was interrupted in some locations in the following municipalities: Vico Equense, Piano of Sorrento, Sant’Agnello, Sorrento, Massa Lubrense, Capri. The replacement water service has been arranged with batteries of fountains which will be flanked by tankers throughout the day.
The explosion and a waterfall of water floods the area of the Pozzano beaches, in Castellammare. This morning, around 11am, the sudden breakage of the regional water main DN 600 which supplies the Sorrento peninsula and the island of Capri. A few minutes and via Acton, the artery that allows you to reach the center of the Stabia municipality for those coming from the route of the former state road 145, turns into a flooded river. Bathers find themselves stranded on the beach and there is no shortage of panic scenes. Some, in order to get away, not being able to use cars and scooters due to the flooded road, get on buses and even passing trucks. There is also concern among the parents of children who attend marine colonies. Rescue vehicles from the fire brigade and civil protection are brought to the scene and, thanks to the collaboration of the municipal police and the carabinieri, help to evacuate around forty people. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, while the damage to buildings and vehicles was quantified. Two families who live in a building in the area are evicted, as is a restaurant hit directly by the violent jet of water.
The former state road was closed to traffic, then reopened and then closed again. Via Acton has ordered closure for at least a week until the necessary safety checks can be carried out. The new mayor of Castellammare, Luigi Vicinanza, also arrives in the area. «Due to the sudden failure of the water main, traffic along Via Acton was interrupted, from the intersection with Via Vecchia Pozzano to the state road – the administration announced -. Furthermore, as a precaution, in agreement with the local police, the section of the state road was also closed. Transit to and from the Sorrento peninsula is only permitted through the tunnel.” Dalla Gori explain that, after the rupture of the pipeline, “the technicians proceeded to interrupt the water flow, make the area safe and start the repair work”. The point where the leak occurred is in a particularly inaccessible position and difficult to reach. To allow for the interventions, the technicians decided to interrupt the water supply in some locations in the Sorrento area up to Capri. At the same time, to reduce the pressure in the pipe, a valve located in the area bordering Vico Equense was opened, allowing part of the water to flow towards the sea. Once the pipeline has been emptied, the utilities located along the hilly strip of the area that goes from Vico Equense to Sorrento have found themselves with dry taps since yesterday.
In Massa Lubrense, nursery schools and nursery schools will be closed as established by an ordinance from the mayor Lorenzo Balducelli to concentrate water in the comprehensive institutions where exams are taken. In Capri, problems limited to Via Provinciale Anacapri and some smaller roads. At the same time, Gori has foreseen, from yesterday evening until the early hours of today, the rotation of the service in different areas between the two municipalities of the island. “The restoration of normal water supply is expected at 12pm on Friday 21 June”, the company says. Considering that on the coast, as well as on Capri, there are plenty of tourists, the lack of water, although limited to some locations, is still causing inconvenience, not only to residents, but also to accommodation facilities, restaurants and bars . To deal with the emergency, Gori has set up the replacement water service in various points of the territory with batteries of fountains flanked by tankers for the distribution of drinking water to citizens. In short, a real odyssey.
