It was the only natural lake in the Region Sicilynow it is no longer there. The Drought he literally made the disappear Lake Pergusalocated in the vicinity of Anna. Given its unique characteristic for the territory, the European Union had promoted it as a site of community interest and a nature reserve special. The first to report the news was Legambiente, which had been monitoring the area for some time and which had repeatedly denounced the devastating situation the lake was experiencing. There desertification hit one of the most important sites for the Sicily Region, in its place now remains a black stain: it is the damp mud that is drying up with the arrival of the season hot. The causes of the lake’s disappearance are certainly attributable to the ongoing climate crisis, but according to Legambiente, “however, it was speeded up by the total inattention and inertia of the bodies which, instead, should have intervened in various capacities”.
The lake of Pergusa it was not just a simple body of water, but also a very important container of biodiversity. In fact, this habitat has always existed “one of the most important resting stations for hundreds of species of birds during their journey from Africa to Europe, it is a treasure chest of flora and fauna preciousnessis part of the great myth of Sicily, and is an indispensable part of the life of the people of Enna and the citizens of central Sicily who have long chosen it as a place for their recreational activities”.
Desertification in Sicily is now a structured problem, just think that the Council of Ministers had already declared a state of emergency at the beginning of May 2024, at the request of the President of the Sicily Region, Renato Schifani. On that occasion, approximately 20 million euros were allocated to be managed over a period of 12 months.
But that wasn’t enough, he says Giuseppe Maria AmatoWater Resources Management Representative of Legambiente Sicilia: “We have been asking for years restoration of the system di monitoring environmental, fundamental for updating knowledge on the state of the lake, and the cleaning of the various channels that carry water from the natural basin of the lake to it. The cleaning interventions were carried out only partially and in a poorly coordinated manner between the bodies, so much so that accumulations of solid material can still be observed at the bottom of the canals which interrupt the descent of the liquids towards the lake”.
Il lago furthermore, being a special nature reserve and a site of community interest it should be included among the areas to be protected by 2030, as foreseen by the Nature Restoration Lawthis is why Legambiente asks “the launch of urgent monitoring and restoration interventions”.
