Dell’Acqua: “emergency plan for the next 2 years, then long-term planning”

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There is a need for programming long period, at least twenty years, to solve the problem of drought and extreme climatic events in Italy with efficient results. Alongside this, one can imagine a contingency plan for the next 2-3 years. This is what the drought commissioner said Nicholas Dell’Acqua on the sidelines of the “Community Value of water for Italy” organized by Ambrosetti.

“We lack 2-3 billion cubic meters of water, we will be able to fill this gap with works to be carried out in the next 2-3 years». The emergencies are above all the reservoirs in the Po Valley, the most critical area, «given that in the South we are used to dealing with drought, and the reservoirs are used for agronomic resources and for citizens, while in the North above all for hydroelectric purposes, which they are not always compatible with other uses».

According to the commissioner, there is no shortage of laws, but a full functioning of the district authorities which should plan the infrastructures and detect the needs of their territories. “So far we have had other priorities but now we need to make more appropriate water budgets”.

As far as investments are concerned, we are talking about “a few billion, but these are figures that are absolutely compatible with long-term planning”. The Pnrr is helping the water cycle with 24% coverage of investments, while it makes one billion available for the water consortia.

During the meeting organized by Ambrosetti, Commissioner Dell’Acqua also commented that «this is the climate, we have to deal with what we have. I would avoid talking about climate change – he continues – because I want to tackle the problem as a commissioner. The law is quite clear – he adds – and Italy does not currently have a single vision for the water problem. In this context, the situation of the accumulation infrastructures must be regenerated, they must be brought back to the capacity for which our grandparents had created them. A job – he underlines – to be done on individual hydrogeological districts, as the EU rightly says».