Italy remains the country with the highest water consumption in Europe. The water footprint, as the water footprint network, it is about 130 billion m³ per year and in times of drought and extreme weather events it is no longer sustainable. The companies that manage the distribution have growing difficulties along the entire supply chain. It should move in an integrated logicsystem, which rebalances uses, investments and industrial assets. "In addition to the greater efficiency of infrastructures and the management of drinking water uses, the time has come to intervene on the various uses of the resource, even in its invisible footprint" he says Alexander Russo Vice President of Utilitalia. His organization represents most of the companies in the sector and proposes the adoption of incentive mechanisms for users, such as "blue certificates". They would serve to combat waste and dispersion. But this is not the only proposal around among politicians, entrepreneurs and associations. At the IV edition of the Water Forum “The water footprint as a tool for adaptation to the climate crisis” others have emerged. All influenced by the dramatic data on the national water system.
Water is an indispensable resource for development
Every year, they wear out over 26 billion m³ of water: 55% of the demand comes from agricultural sector, 27% from that industrial and 18% from that civil. Along the pipelines, as has been known for years, yes loses about 22% of the total withdrawal. Very serious and unbalanced losses: 17% in the agricultural sector and 40% in the civil sector. In practice we have a system in which water is the natural resource essential for development that most suffers from problems incorrect management and overuse, the Forum was told. Very vulnerable product, therefore, which due to previous responsibilities also escapes a correct industrial logic. The climatic events such as drought or intense rains, in addition to material damage, they cause diseconomies and changes in the ecosystem. The State after all, he still spends little on the sector and one has only been put into circulation for a few months part of the 4,3 billion euros envisaged by the PNRR. The right wing in government wants to re-discuss the PNRR which, however, contains good indications for the sector. Legambiente proposes to the government and the Regions to adopt an approach multi-system, "in order to take, throughout the water cycle, a more responsible and sustainable attitude“. Also operational indications that obscure the old theories on public water. The objectives are: the reduction of the risks caused by excessive exploitation or pollution of the sources, the completion of the sewage and purification networks, the elimination of industrial waste.
Fighting waste in Municipalities, in agriculture and in industry
“On the eve of COP27 and in a year that will be remembered as one of the hottest and driest ever as a result of the climate crisis, we are once again opening a debate with the various protagonists of the various sectors, sharing experiences, projects and investments” he maintains Giorgio Zampetti, director general of Legambiente. There is from work on three vital fronts if we want to break down the negative European supremacy: that municipal, That agricultural and that industrial. In Municipalities, the management model can be rethought starting from the design and construction of buildings and public spacesi. Why not think about plants of recycling and / or di reuse for condos or even for entire neighborhoods ? In the field agricultural it would be necessary to contain irrigation consumption within the threshold of 2.500 cubic meters per year per hectare. At an industrial level, the consumption of "new" water can be reduced, design plants and processes that minimize the use of water. The individual company could monitor the losses and fix them. The calculation of the water footprint could also be made compulsory in order to assign it an economic weight in the budgets. Therefore, Legambiente, Utilitalia, the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Lazio Region are acknowledged for having revived a theme that seemed to have disappeared from the public debate, but which exposes us to criticisms and remarks from the rest of Europe. We are the country that most of all believes in the ecological transition and achieves it resources for the environment and the climate, but we have a worrying light on for the new government.
