We receive and publish an open letter signed by Luigi Santagati addressed to the mayor of Caltanissetta Walter Tesauro.
“Dear Mayor Tesauro, every day Caltanissetta throws 10,000 cubic meters of water into the sea. This is the daily average of the water treated by the Caltanissetta purifier, which the sewers of the capital and San Cataldo channel into. That’s 10,000 cubic meters of water, equal to 3,500,000 cubic meters in a year, which, if used intelligently, can become one of the resources for the economic future of this city. By creating a plant for the secondary treatment of already purified water, but above all, a buffer tank capable of holding at least one million cubic meters of water, connected to a reference water network, we would be able to activate irrigation for no less than 5,000 hectares of land to be used with the planting of high-yield plant varieties capable of producing a net harvest of at least 40 quintals of product per hectare. By using the drip irrigation technique and providing a supply of water during periods ofneeds (for example July, August and September for olive trees; May, June and July for peaches, apricots, medlars, etc.) it would be possible to easily overcome the drought phases that create the problems we know well for crops. The Municipality, which already owns agricultural land scattered everywhere, should take charge of the initiative by providing for the development of the project and acting as coordinator together with the farmers’ organizations of the creation of a network of interested entrepreneurs. The necessary legal terms come naturally. Once the virtuous circle of the first harvests has been triggered, which should yield at least 20,000 tons of products per year, we should move on to the second phase of creating an industry for the transformation of agricultural products (preserves, jams, juices, pasta, wine, drinks, etc.) with the use of additional manpower. What I am proposing here is one of the initiatives that have already been implemented for some time in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, and Tuscany, not to mention Israel, which is at the forefront of the world. All that is needed is good will and the good sense to get informed and, above all, not to waste time.”
Louis Santagati.
