Dams, reservoirs and sewage, the government fights drought

The Council of Ministers approves the decree to combat drought. A control room is set up in Palazzo Chigi, which will meet within a month and will have management, coordination and monitoring functions to deal with the water crisis. It will be chaired by Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini on behalf of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. A central figure will also be the special commissioner who will be appointed within ten days. It will have the power to remove all the bureaucratic obstacles that have so far prevented the necessary infrastructural interventions from being carried out. The objective will be to increase the capacity of the dams, facilitate the construction of small rainwater reservoirs for agricultural use and improve the reuse of wastewater. An approach supported from the outset by Minister Lollobrigida. Prime Minister Meloni recalls that “no government has ever addressed the problem in a structural way”. And he adds: “We chose to do it before it becomes an emergency. We do it with the control room and simplifying the procedures of some important works, from the capacity of the reservoirs to the reuse of water”.

Among the novelties is also the toughening of penalties for those who steal water from the public network, or as they say technically, “illegally extract”. The fines, previously fixed between 4,000 and 40,000 euros, now vary between 8,000 and 50,000 euros. For mild cases they will be reduced: from 2 thousand to 10 thousand euros. With regard to governance, on the other hand, the control room will dictate the lines of intervention. In addition to Salvini, the ministers will be Francesco Lollobrigida (Agriculture and Food Sovereignty), Gilberto Pichetto Fratin (Environment and Energy Security), Raffaele Fitto (European Affairs, South and Pnrr), Nello Musumeci (Civil Protection and Sea), Roberto Calderoli ( Regional Affairs and Autonomy) and Giancarlo Giorgetti (Economy). As stated in the decree, «within 30 days from the date of entry into force», the substation will carry out «the survey of works and urgent interventions to face the short-term water crisis, whose financing is also assured through of resources subject to expenditure authorizations, but not yet committed or otherwise available”. may replace “territorial entities” whenever a reason for “dissent”, “denial” or “opposition” arises.

MIT sources point to the “central role” that the ministry led by Salvini will play. “Through the application of the simplifications envisaged for public investments financed with national and European funds – specify the same sources – a restructuring of resources for the sector will be promoted, with the aim of promoting the implementation of the most urgent and quickly implemented interventions. for the reuse of purified wastewater, until December 31, 2023, and for the construction of desalination stations.” The commissioner, who will remain in office until December 31 with a possible extension for another year, may have special powers, operating “in derogation of any legal provision other than a penal one. Among its attributions will also be that of “regulating the volumes and flows from the reservoirs”, providing for the “temporary reduction of the volumes reserved for flood lamination”. directly with the Regions and will support them in the aspects of their competence.It can also replace the defaulting bodies in the Prime Minister’s mandate. He will always be responsible for modernizing the dams, removing the deposits that have accumulated in the cisterns. To improve reservoir management, an ad hoc fund is created at the Ministry of Infrastructure. Finally, a communication plan will be drawn up, to be approved within a month, to ensure “adequate information” about the “persistent situation of water crisis” in the country.

Source: IL Tempo

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