Commissioner Dell’Acqua: «Drought averted thanks to snowfall but intervention on the reservoirs is urgently needed»

As part of my first proposal to the control room, developed with the seven district basin authorities, I invite them to take the integrated water system as a model, where the regulatory governance based on Ato, the single operator that tariffs and Arera that controls is showing its fruits. In six years the drop in losses was 6% in absolute terms, but it also reached 15% when compared to the length of the pipelines. For primary water supply, i.e. for raw water, we suggest entrusting the planning to the district authorities, in agreement with the Regions, on the basis of water balances drawn up by the new permanent district Observatories, which are updated and very detailed, with ability to forecast the availability of water for a month, on which to redefine the concessions for the various uses. Management should remain regional.

And from a financial point of view?

Current diversion fees are very low and do not reflect the environmental cost of the water resource. It could be useful to introduce the figure of the single manager in this sector too, with a tariff system that imposes the payment of a quota intended for the implementation of the necessary management and maintenance activities of the resource retention and supply infrastructures, ensuring that there is a return of the revenues collected. It would also be important to introduce incentives for managers, through a maintenance fee, and disincentives for withdrawals.

Let’s get to the ongoing and priority interventions. What is the program?

As announced by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who chairs the control room, the Regions have presented 562 proposals worth 13.5 billion for the national plan of structural interventions and for the safety of the water sector. But the desire is to launch an extraordinary plan for the most urgent interventions by June. However, many works are already underway. Thanks to the Pnrr and the structural funds, the reclamation consortia already have investments of 2.4 billion in place which will lead to a saving of one billion cubic meters of water for agricultural uses by 2025, of which 800 million alone loss reductions. At least thirty interventions are underway for the dams, including upgrades and maintenance. Acque del Sud, for example, has 6 million works for the Monte Cotugno dam.