The weak link remains the infrastructure. The lack of water in the South scares for its dramatic relevance. It refers to eras and choices that Draghi wants to erase by exploiting the best opportunities of European funds. What's new? That for a few days the prime minister has been supported by research by Svimez and Utilitalia which lays bare problems and opportunities. Two aspects that good politics can grasp when relaunching the country system. A resilient and green country.
The question: which new sustainable socio-economic model will really succeed if in half the country 47% of water is lost in dilapidated pipelines? If in some Sicilian and Campania capitals peaks of 60% of losses are reached? A primary but precious asset: does it make sense? Governing requires realism. That thing which, unfortunately, has been missing in the water sector as in other sectors for twenty years. A stunned propaganda that wanted everything public has, in fact, massacred those gradual and constant investments that businesses, on the other hand, should have made.
The now estimated mountain of money since Minister for the South Mara Carfagna to intervene in the South exceeds 2,5 billion euros. “With the illusory mantra of public water, national legislation has been disregarded, industrial managers have not been allowed to grow and investments have been blocked. Now we need to speed up to meet the challenge of the ecological transition and align the water management of the South with that of the North", he explains Luca Bianchi, SVIMEZ Director. Yet the industrial system, through the control of the Arera, made progress when the integrated energy-water-waste model was conceived with administered tariffs and documented costs.
Svimez says that by investing in water in the South, GDP could rise by 1,1% and employment by 40 workers. The political knot that Draghi, in hindsight, will have to resolve - downstream of the resources of the Recovery and Resilience Plan - will be to convince the Cinquestelle, a part of them or Conte, to give up another identity slogan of the first hour.
As head of the government, Conte has never taken a clear position. The minister for the South, on the other hand, has already gone too far. We need to reduce the infrastructural gap that divides Southern from Northern Italy. “But to achieve this result, the reforms contained in the PNRR, which intervene on governance, will also be important“. It is evident, moreover, how the battles for public water in the end have only generated illusions in families. Here they are, 21% of those interviewed say they are "not at all satisfied" with the water service in their municipality. For Utilitalia it is the bankruptcy of management in the hands of the Municipalities, touted for years by fruitless sit-ins neglecting the difficulties of the mayors in spending on investments.
In the Regions where the resistance of the Municipalities has been greater in transferring the plants to an industrial manager, there are lower levels of investments and worse quality of service, says the Report. Then the surprise of even higher tariffs, precisely where the financial and income conditions of families are more precarious. A punch aimed at those who have shouted for the abolition of poverty. Reducing the infrastructural gap of the water system in the South - said la President of Utilitalia, Michaela Castelli – protects the rights of citizens to take advantage of a uniform quality service throughout the national territory. “We want to quickly recover the accumulated delay with respect to the implementation of the national legislative and regulatory framework”. 25 years ago a reform was launched which must be completed in order to overcome the managements in economy and finally choose the managers for the optimal areas. In order not to make users suffer from the costs of adapting the networks, public contributions are important. It goes without saying that it is a viable path with the Recovery plan and the green perspective. The government is working on it. Minister Carfagna has provided the first figures, let's hope he doesn't make any missteps towards a more equitable country and definitively cancels slogans that are clearly in contrast with those who sign government acts.
