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Obiettivi del progetto Tweet

The works were aimed at improving some environmental infrastructure and water resources in the territory of Licata. In addition to water resources, it was also aimed at the improvement of wastewater management. The public work falls within the field of environmental infrastructure and water resources. The infrastructure subsector concerns water resources and wastewater. It is important because water is a primry good, necessary for all the activitievities of life and for life itself but in Licata it has been always provided in small quantities and this shortage mekes people's lives really hard.

Attività previste

The project involves the creation of a communication network between the various reservoirs in the city to make the water supply more efficient. In case one reservoir is not functioning properly, supply can be made by connecting with other reservoirs. The scheduled start is 03 February 2015, while the scheduled end is 02 December 2015. Actually the real end of the project takes place on 9th September 2016.

Origine del progetto

We have not found much news about the public decisions and administrative procedures that gave rise to the project since Girgenti Acque, the implementing party, has gone through several court cases and today has also changed its corporate structure, taking on the name AICA. The beneficiary entity was the Municipality of Licata, improving the water network in some areas of the city.

Soggetti Beneficiari

Citizens are those who can benefit from the outcomes of the project as the distribution of water with proper timing and manner is a primary necessity for all kinds of human activities. There is obviously no negative consequence. Anyway, the issue of shortage of water is not definetely solved.

Contesto

The very serious water crisis, that has always plagued Licata, was the subject of a television report entitled "The Great Thirst." on RAI in 1966. The data had already been released by ISTAT in 1951.
In 1953-the analysis of Minister Vigorelli's Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into Poverty in Italy completed the description of that ancient despair.
"About 3,000 families for a total of 14,000 people live in one-room dwellings without sanitary facilities". In 1977, barrel carts were still selling water extracted from private wells at a cost of 50 liras per liter. Licata's water crisis was later recounted by Danilo Dolci; his denunciation failed to change an emergency that still in 1967 was forcing Licata residents to have running water every 20 days.
The "Mancini Law" financed with three and a half billion liras the remaking of the city's water supply network; the company that completed the work, however, managed to have black water seep into the new pipes, worsening conditions for the 40,000 inhabitants. As the decades passed, the water shortage did not cease. In 1974, Licata could dispose of 10 or 12 liters per second.
Even today, water distribution in Licata relies on daily shifts for urban and suburban areas. Today one should receive 100/q20 l/s and in summer 20/30 liters more, but this does not happen regularly. Perennial rationing has now entered the habits of thousands of citizens.

Avanzamento

The project was already completed in 2016. However, from the interview with Mr. Licata, the mayor's delegate in both ATI and AICA, according to Article 6 of ATI's Bylaws, it was found that the intervention was not fully effective because there is still 52% water leakage, as certified by AICA. Moreover, by the survey, we found out that there are still areas without proper water mains.
Sources: Interview and survey.

Risultati

The results obtained from the project were overall positive because they took place in some areas of the city of Licata such as Fondachello/Playa (suburbs), San Paolo and Cotturo (abandoned historic center), with difficulties in water supplies. Obviously, the citizens, living in the areas that have undergone the restoration intervention, have received some benefits but the water supply continues to be very limited.

Rischi

Further failures of the water mains, whether accidental or caused by road breaks, could jeopardise the achievements of the project implementation.

Risultati e impatto del monitoraggio

Metodo di indagine

Come sono state raccolte le informazioni?

• Raccolta di informazioni via web
• Intervista con altre tipologie di persone

We tried to contact Marco Campione, former president of Girgenti Acque (the company that managed the water service in Agrigento and province) at the time the work was carried out but it was impossible to reach him either by phone or email, but we learned from the newspapers that the company is experiencing judicial problems. At that point, we turned to the only person with expertise in our area on water, Mr. Salvatore Licata, the mayor's delegate in both ATI and AICA, according to Article 6 of ATI's Bylaws.

Domande principali

1-Has the work done solved the problems related to water leaks during delivery?
2-At the time of the work on the water supply network, the management of the water supply was in the hands of Girgenti Acque. What is the current situation?
3-Are there any ways to save and recycle water?

Risposte principali

1-Within the Area Plan, a planning document for the next 30 years starting in 2021, there are various pictures for each individual town or city in the Agrigento area among which is Licata. On page 185 Licata is mentioned, here a percentage of 52 % leakage is reported. This means that if Aica, which is the operator that is currently delivering the integrated service in the Agrigento area, puts 100 cubic meters of water into the town pipeline, 480 cubic meters are billed from the consumption of individual users, while 520 cubic meters are lost.
2-AICA, as it stands, is a company entirely in public hands; this means that if the ownership is 100 percent, Licata is one of the municipalities that joins AICA and has 9.27 percent ownership in AICA. The private component, i.e., Girgenti Acque, was ousted from the ATI (Assemblea Territoriale Idrica, formed by all the mayors of all the municipalities in the Province of Agrigento), therefore, the contract was terminated with a letter dated December 6, 2018. Two and a half years of receivership followed, and AICA management began on August 2, 2021.
3-The municipality of Licata, thanks to my intervention, in November 2021 made a proposal to the ATI idrico, which is the body formed by all the municipalities of the province of Agrigento, and to the AICA itself, a proposal that provided for the construction of tertiary plants, which are plants that refine the water coming out of the purifiers, so that it could be used for irrigation. This would have used the water coming out of the purification plants, giving it to the reclamation consortia, which are responsible for supplying water for irrigation use, and we would have taken the water for drinking water use that is currently used for agriculture. This is around 30 million cubic metres per year. No response was given to this proposal, either by ATI or AICA, or by the regional energy department, which is in charge of dams and therefore of water management.

Sources: PIANO D’AMBITO Servizio Idrico Integrato Rev. 4 - 22 dicembre 2020 Predisposto da: Luel S.r.l. – Blue Works S.r.l.s
Interview to Mr Licata