From the water crisis to compensation for the fires in Sicily without neglecting the topic of the European elections. The Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies Nello Musumeci speaks in 360 degrees during an interview on the program “Il Punto” of the Telecolor broadcaster.
«FdI’s objective for the European elections is not to take away votes from the League and Fi, because this would weaken the coalition, but to convert the voters who voted for the opposition and above all to make inroads on abstentionism. I think that the vote will not have any repercussions on the Meloni government, because the only alternative would be to return to the polls”, stated the minister.
Then on the fire emergency: «We must tell the truth. Declaring a state of emergency for fires does not mean giving private individuals reimbursements for burned houses, but it means building a framework to allow Municipalities and Regions to be able to act in derogation and to be able to receive reimbursement of the money spent to have faced the fires. ’emergency”.
The issue concerns the fires which in July and September last year damaged companies, breeders and private citizens as well as sending dozens of hectares of woods and Mediterranean scrub in Sicily into smoke, especially in the province of Palermo. “There is no law that requires the State to compensate the damage caused by fire to private citizens, unfortunately it doesn’t exist,” Musumeci said.
On the water crisis which could worsen in Sicily during the summer season, the minister declared: «To be able to reach the end of the year the island, where water supply is already rationed in around a hundred municipalities to combat the drought, must recover 180 million cubic meters of water, half of the water resources necessary for ordinary annual management.”
Musumeci explained that the Sicilian Region has sent the Civil Protection a list of 52 works to be carried out. “I hope there are executive projects – he said -. We will try to find financial coverage for at least the first ten interventions.” Renato Schifani’s government has forwarded the request to Rome for a state of calamity due to the drought. «The offices are working on it, I am convinced that it will be accepted – anticipated the minister -. This will allow us to provide a framework, the Civil Protection will also proceed with the supply of the tankers. The law also gives the possibility of requisitioning private wells to deal with critical issues. The State has the task of intervening from a structural point of view, it is up to the Region to manage the contingent situation and decide whether to proceed with rationing.”
Musumeci underlined that «in Sicily there is no doubt that there is a structural emergency. Forty years ago the dams were built but they were not tested, it was my government that started the tests four years ago. Unfortunately, there was a lack of planning despite the flood of money: from the Cassa del Mezzogiorno to the structural funds.” «There is so much to do – he continued -. It is clear that some works will take years to complete, but some interventions can be done in a short time, I am thinking of the company lakes on which my government has focused, giving a big hand to businesses”. And he concluded with an anecdote. «In the summer of 2001 I went to a smaller island, I won’t say which one: I saw the tanker with the inlet connected to the mainland while it was supplying the island with water. I was struck by it, I asked the mayor if all this was normal when a watermaker would be enough. He took my arm and replied: President, it’s too complicated, get out of it.”
