Water alarm In Italy, a problem that continues to worry in particular the agricultural sector and the environment. The Anbi Observatory on water resources has raised an alarm regarding the persistent deficiency of water in numerous areas of the country; The thermal anomalies detected during the meteorological winter (from 1 December to 28 February) were marked, with temperatures often higher than the average and heat waves that hit most of the territory. In many cities in the center-south, temperatures never dropped below zero, while in the south there were almost spring conditions, with thermal values that have reached almost 20 degrees.
The damage in the Foggiano
And most of them are mainly the Foggia campaigns, which continue to deal with a serious water deficiency. The situation is in fact particularly critical in Puglia, where the scarcity of water makes itself felt worryingly: the dams of the captain, in fact, contain only 23.42% invadable water, a level decidedly lower than that necessary to face the agricultural season. In 2024, the Occhito dam had accumulated almost 11 million cubic meters in the same period, while this year the tables of the Tavoliere have just retained 43 million cubic metersabout half compared to last year.
The negative impact on the agricultural economy of the province will be devastating: the ANBI calculates at least 1.4 billion eurosplus all the induced, on a total turnover of about 7 billion.
The Consortium of the Capitanata It manages four dams capable of retaining up to 300 million cubic meters of water. Every year, on the Foggia area, about 3 billion cubic meters of rain fall, but only 10% of this rain is stored in the reservoirs. Of these 300 million cubic meters, 60 are intended for the Apulian aqueduct, while the remaining 240 million are used to irrigate 140 thousand hectares of cultivated land. In the future, the design of the Dam of Palazzo d’Ascoli, in the lower Tavoliere, for which 8 million euros of investment are also planned, although the realization times are still uncertain.
Problems also in the North
The situation in Sicily It appears more favorable, thanks to abundant rains that have contributed to increasing the water reserves of the region, albeit with slow progress. Currently, water reserves in the region reach about 47.5% of the invadable volumes, but less than half of these resources is actually usable. Even in Sardinia there have been improvements, in particular in the basins of Gallura and Ogliastra, although critical issues remain in some areas, such as the south-west of the island, where water systems are still in serious difficulties.
The situation is similar in other northern regions, such as the Valle d’Aostawhere the snow was lower than last year. TO Gressoney Saint Jeanfor example, the snow dropped by about 62 cm compared to the previous year. The scarce rainfall and the increase in winter temperatures only intensify the signs of crisis that are threatening the well -being of the country and the sustainability of its water resources.
