“We are in the midst of an emergency, water is supplied by the Consortium occasionally and partially, we don’t have enough to water the animals. Many companies are slaughtering animals to reduce the load and, unfortunately, this is the perspective for many others.” This was told to Adnkronos by Massimo Primavera, director of Coldiretti of Caltanissetta, who does not hide the “dramatic nature” of the situation experienced by the many livestock enterprises in the district. “Caltanissetta is an area almost totally not served by the reclamation consortia that supply water for irrigation – explains he-him. There is, however, a reclamation consortium, the Salito Consortium, which provides drinking water. The consequence? Before arriving at the livestock farms, the supply is drained from the homes along the route, the flow does not reach the farmers regularly”. In recent days, a summit in the Prefecture, in Caltanissetta, served to take stock of the situation. And to look for solutions to make the water necessary to water the animals available.
“We are trying to operate with relief supplies thanks to the intervention of the Forestry Inspectorate which has made a drinking water tank available,” explains Primavera. According to an initial survey, there are around sixty companies in emergency that need to be supplied. A list drawn up by the mayors of the province. “If there are sixty companies that need water and the 15-20 thousand liter Forestry tanker can make two trips a day, it means that no less than 30 days pass between one supply and another”. A time irreconcilable with the needs of livestock entrepreneurs. “We are trying to carry out a reconnaissance of the wells and springs in Caltanissetta – says the director of Coldiretti Caltanissetta who will meet the mayor tomorrow – to see how to organize further emergency solutions”.
“The companies have continued up until now with the reserves they had, but now the reservoirs and lakes are practically dried up,” admits Primavera. The solution is to buy water. “We have done this several times because we cannot leave the animals without drinking.” Thus, in tidy Sicily the private tanks continue to travel. “Just pay and the tanker arrives. I don’t know if it is appropriate, given the very serious emergency we are experiencing, to think about requisitions.” In the province of Caltanissetta, the medium-sized companies – the majority – with stables of 40-60 cattle and around a hundred sheep and goats number around 200. “Then there are those with even 300 animals”, warns Primavera, explaining that “with a tank of 10 thousand liters last two/three days and the average cost is 150-250 euros per tank”. The calculations are soon done. “Every livestock farm spends at least 500 euros a week on water. An unsustainable cost, also because they are companies that have produced nothing.”
And the measures the regional government is working on to deal with the drought emergency? “The measures announced by Schifani are wide-ranging, a plan for the regional water crisis that must ‘land’ on territories. We are waiting to know the operational phases – says Primavera -. It’s time we began to develop a real project for water in Sicily, with the reclamation consortia in charge for 30 years. In the meantime, however, we have to give the animals water, it’s an emergency that needs to be managed now. There’s no more time. Solutions must be found to find water and the means to intensify relief supplies. From politics we ask that the reclamation consortia be supported by the agricultural producers’ councils, we need to sit at a table and strategize together. We are not giving up and we will do everything we can to ensure that the Sicilian livestock heritage, which is a wealth, is not lost”, concludes the director of Coldiretti Caltanissetta.
