Aart Heering
Rome is drained. From Friday 28 July, until further notice, three million Romans will no longer have water from the tap for an average of 8 hours a day. The reason is the decision to stop water extraction from the More from Bracciano, north of the city, on the banks of which larger and larger areas are drying up. The cause is the persistent drought and the exceptional heat, but also the years of neglect of the water supply network.
State of emergency
Italy is ravaged by the worst drought in two hundred years. Since the beginning of this year, there has been 60% less rain than usual. The Po is fifty centimeters below its normal level and Lake Garda seventy centimeters. The production of grain, fruit and vegetables and milk is under pressure across the country and ten regions have already applied for a state of emergency. In recent weeks, the country has been hit by four consecutive heat waves, caused by hot air from Africa. In this blistering July month, temperatures are on average four degrees above normal.
Lake Bracciano is being drained at a rate of 1.110 liters per second.
Rome is now also the victim, even though water has never really been a problem here. Since antiquity, the Italian capital has been amply supplied by springs in the Abruzzo Mountains, and if there ever was a shortage, it could be replenished from Lake Bracciano. This has also happened in recent months, but now the regional administration has put a stop to it.
40% fewer tourists
This volcanic lake, 1.110 miles north of Rome and a favorite destination for Romans and holidaymakers alike (there's also a Dutch-run campsite), is gradually being drained at a rate of 40 liters per second to quench Rome's thirst. The lake is only fed by rain and now that it doesn't fall, the consequences are disastrous. The water level is more than a meter below normal, the banks stretch tens of meters of stinking mud with rotting algae and dead fish and the number of tourists has fallen by XNUMX% compared to last year.
No water
In order to prevent an ecological (and economic) disaster, water extraction in the lake is now stopped, while the other aqueducts also have limited capacity. This has unpleasant consequences for the residents and visitors of Rome. In the plan of the municipal water company ACEA, the city is split into two parts, each with roughly one and a half million inhabitants. Every other day they do not get water for eight hours (not consecutively). Every second day, the tap can only be opened for eight hours until the emergency comes to an end.
High temperatures
But that end is not yet in sight: for the coming week too, radiant sunshine is on the program and temperatures above 30 degrees. fountains, which because of their typical shape are known as nasonia (long noses) and from which normally excellent drinking water flows, are closed. Except for a few that have to guarantee the flow of the pipes. The parks in the city do not have to suffer: they are irrigated with unfiltered water from the Tiber and that is not yet dry.
water loss
The municipality and ACEA have lodged a protest with the regional governor Nicola Zingaretti, who, however, does not want to budge. The Roman institutions themselves also have butter on their heads. The water supply network loses as much as 44% of the extracted water between source and tap. The rest seeps away through faulty pipes or is illegally tapped. (That goes for almost all of Italy, especially the south.)
A recent report quoted by the daily newspaper La Repubblica shows that most pipes are between 30 and 50 years old and that little or no investment is made in maintenance. As a result, ACEA was able to pay 70 million in dividend last year to its largest shareholder, the municipality of Rome, which was able to pay off a small part of its billion-dollar debt.
In the meantime, the citizens are left with it. There is a good chance that this will be the case even more often in the future. Environment Minister Galletti warns that 'the extreme climate, which is still the exception now, could become the rule in the coming years'. And Governor Zingaretti said he would like to invite President Trump to Lake Bracciani "so he can see with his own eyes that climate change does exist."
Update July 29
The water supply in Rome is guaranteed for the time being. After long bickering, the region, city and water company have reached an agreement on the basis of which they can pump smaller amounts of water from Lake Bracciano from Monday. Because the city is emptying due to holidays, that should be enough. But the discussions are still going on and by decree irrigating terraces and filling swimming pools is prohibited. (Even if no one adheres to it.)
Image: YouTube
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