«What is being recorded in Sicily, but which progressively goes back from the South to the Centre, has worse characteristics than the previous great droughts in the North, but is receiving less attention from public opinion: it has never happened before that animals had to be slaughtered due to the impossibility of feed them and quench their thirst. We are becoming accustomed to the culture of disaster.” The president of the National Association of Land and Irrigation Water Management and Protection Consortia, Francesco Vincenzi, raised the alarm, based on Anbi data.
The shock dossier
According to what was published by the Basin Authority of the Sicily Hydrographic District on 27 May, of the 288.95 million cubic meters then retained by the 29 dams on the island, the water actually available in the basins was half. «Aside from the responsibilities of politics, incapable of responding adequately to the progress of the climate crisis – adds Massimo Gargano, director general of Anbi – the scenario is of a red alert for the great aridity, precursor of desertification, on over 50% of the territories in Sicily, Puglia and Basilicata, to which add the coastal areas of Calabria and Sardinia, as well as areas located along the Apennine ridge and the Adriatic strip”.
Lucania burns
In just one week of great heat, reservoirs in Basilicata dropped by over 20 million cubic meters of water, raising the deficit for 2023 to almost 193 million. Here is the merciless photograph of the main Lucanian dams which currently contain 296 million cubic meters of water resources, compared to 489 twelve months ago.
The invaders
In particular, according to the data provided by the Agency for the development of irrigation and land transformation in Puglia, Lucania and Irpinia, the greatest decline is recorded in the Montecotugno reservoir. 166 million cubic meters are currently stored here, almost 117 less than a year ago. The Pertusillo dam contains almost 95 million cubic meters of water, 19 less than twelve months ago. Just over 22 million cubic meters, however, are present in the San Giuliano reservoir, compared to 69 in the same period of 2023. A situation defined as dramatic by agricultural trade associations: from threshing in the wheat fields, in some cases interrupted due to the low production, to the suffering of fruit and vegetable crops. The beekeeping sector is also on its knees with many beekeepers forced to close their businesses or downsize.
