In recent days, due to the water emergency affecting the capital and other neighboring municipalities, many proposals have been made to find a long-term solution to the water supply problem. Among the ideas on the table, both the Environment Minister Galletti and ACEA are considering doubling the Peschiera-Capore aqueduct system, a project that had already been blocked once due to the resistance of some players.
Given the fundamental role that this system plays in the water supply of Rome and numerous other Municipalities, already in a 2015 study, the Costs of Non-Fare Observatory had examined the project for doubling and modernizing the infrastructure, estimating the costs and benefits. The Observatory, which is chaired by Prof. Gilardoni of the Bocconi University of Milan and is responsible for studying and monitoring the infrastructural development of the country, considered a work like this strategic for the community, given the objectives of the project:
- securing the entire infrastructure from seismic events;
- guarantee of water supply, even in the event of an increase in demand;
- adjustment of the flow withdrawn from the Peschiera springs;
- replacement of local supply sources and those that do not comply with potability requirements.
Although the study did not consider the possibility of a water emergency, we believe that the results are not only still valid but are probably to be corrected upwards, given the short-term alternative solutions that have been considered by all the actors involved in the last days (desalination plants, tankers, refueling shifts, etc.).
According to the analyzes carried out by the Observatory, the net cost for the community of not carrying out the work amounts to approximately 189 million euros (see figure). In particular, the investments envisaged by the project amounted to 377 million euros, to which must be added the management costs of approximately 31 million euros. On the side of the benefits, the Observatory has estimated the savings due to the replacement of supply sources with purification plants (estimated at 142 million euros), the lack of water supply disruption (estimated at 261 million euros) and the economic damage due the probable decrease in tourist activities (estimated at 93 million euros). Adding up the various items, the total savings would be approximately 597 million euros.
Also in this case, careful planning of the infrastructures, combined with a correct evaluation of the investments through the cost-benefit analysis tool, would make it possible to establish which works are really useful for the community without having to discuss them in times of crisis or emergency .
