Environmentalists have reported the disappearance of Lake Pergusa: a very serious loss, due to drought but also to man’s indifference
The scorching heat, the drought, the increasingly high temperatures but also and above all the complete inattention towards a natural oasis that would have deserved greater attention and respect: these are the causes that led to the disappearance of the Lake Pergusa in Sicilya body of water known since ancient times that in the last ten years has been the victim of progressive desertification.
To make the announcement and make his official tragic end they were the experts of the Legambiente’s Enna headquarterswho have been closely monitoring the lake for some time now and who have made it clear that there is nothing left to do to turn back.
The End of a Mythological Lake
For those who don’t know, Lake Pergusa was not only a natural oasis that gave space and life to a fragile ecosystem, but also a historical place which for centuries has attracted the attention of poets, historians and writers. According to Greek mythology, it is precisely on the shores of this lake that the god of the underworld Hades kidnapped Persephone, daughter of Demeter, to make her his bride and, again according to the Greeks, it is precisely here that the four seasons were born.
Its morphology has always made it a delicate place: of modest dimensions and of tectonic origin, it has never had emissaries and the water that filled it for centuries was rain or groundwater. Already at the end of the 20th century, due to rising temperatures and the unfortunate choice to open wells for anthropic use, the lake had partially silted up. The collapse, however, occurred in recent years.
An unheard alarm
In fact, the lake’s aquifer has been consumed in a gradual but unstoppable manner. Year after year, with the increase in temperatures and the incessant continuation of the action of environmental and water pollution, this natural area has been severely brought to its knees, transforming what were previously waters moved by the wind into muddy residues , absorbed more and more urgently by the earth.
The worst thing to take into consideration is that, despite the drought and the constantly worsening climate emergency, several associations had already raised the alarm regarding Lake Pergusa. In 2023 Legambiente Sicilia had done everything to bring attention to the state of health of this body of water, asking for targeted interventions that were never really taken into consideration.
The responsibility of man
Yes, because what is perhaps not reiterated enough is that the responsibility for the serious damage to planet Earth is human. In relation to Lake Pergusa, the statements that Joseph Mary Amatowater resources management representative of Legambiente Sicilia, released to Ansa: «After months of agony and after an incredible week of unbreathable miasmas, Lake Pergusa is almost completely disappeared».
«In its place – said Amato – there remains a blackish patch of wet mud which is drying in the sun. Its disappearance, certainly attributable to the very serious climate crisis that is gripping Sicily, was however speeded up by the total inattention and inertia of the bodies which, instead, should have intervened in various capacities”.
These words, once again, sound both like an accusation and a warning. If we don’t cooperate on a local, international, global level (and let’s face it: even on a personal level), part of our natural beauty will disappear. And there will be nothing left to do but mourn ourselves and our indifference.
