That water is an essential good for life on earth is an axiom that men and women have known for millennia. That his availability is constant and free of charge is, however, a misunderstanding of history. Battles are being fought around the world for the collection and distribution of water, both for human consumption and for agriculture. For millennia, water has also been used as weapon to assert supremacy over subject populations. Africa is today the continent where these circumstances are, unfortunately, very current. But also there war in Ukraine he showed us scenes where the water conduits, the sources of origin, were used to subjugate cities and villages. A perverse and hateful exploitation of resources between bombs and air raids. For this from Africa, Ukraine and other places on the planet, the World Water Day it means claiming a right. The European Union, certainly more fortunate, has for a decade approved a piano for the protection and management of water resources. In 2020, it added a directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption. A holistic approach with analysis and management models, as confirmed by the CNR. In the directive there are two good intentions: the availability-quality of the water that is distributed and the management of the distribution networks. Having clear ideas in terms of water and water services is not easy at all, they explain to Hera, one of the major European companies in the integrated water and purification cycle.
Water gets lost along the way: who fixes it?
In Italy there is a bit of confusion in citizens-customers of companies. For thirty years the water networks have been managed by specialized companies. But less than one in two citizens know who is in charge of the service in their municipality. “A distance that must be understood and contextualized, but above all faced through specific paths of involvement, listening and dialogue” he says Donato Berardi, director of the REF Ricerche think tank. Yet Italians consume an average of 220 liters of water a day against the 165 of the European average. And they are also very good customers of bottled water companies. The national distribution chain is very long and leaves a lot of liquid on the street. Who has to fix the leaks, make investments? Question with variable answer. An organic law for the reorganization of the system of the 90s (Legge Galli) failed, abolished by the Environmental Code. Again the results are not up to the needs. The confusion increases. There Italian constitution establishes that water is a good and a universal human right. A right sanctioned by the General Assembly of the United Nations, and not always respected in the world, as we said. World Day was established precisely to remember him in both rich and poor countries. Then all the differences remain, except for the volunteers who go to dig wells or some company that goes to invest in critical areas without making money.
Italy squabbling
In Italy, the definition of water as a public good in 2011 was assimilated to that of a good not subject to commercial rules and, therefore, a referendum. Public water movements often recall a UN resolution from July 2010 that the right to water "must be protected without penalizing public management which favors recourse to the assignment of local public services to private individuals which is not always justified and productive for the community". Confusion in the third stage. The ultra-guaranteed principle mentioned by the WWF periodically ends up in the hands of politics which now debates it, now inserts it in norms that conflict with other norms or makes it a propaganda banner.
Drought overshadows World Day
In this bizarre climate 2023, World Water Day overlaps with a cruel one drought. The CNR explained that a percentage of the Italian population - between 6% and 15% - now lives in contexts of severe drought. But on the other hand, pipes or humans waste water as well. Let's say that along the Peninsula there are two wasters: the pipes and the people. Obviously, the latter throw it away only if it comes out of the taps, because in many places it is rationed. Management companies collect the bill money, they should invest for fix leaksee as for the rates it provides the Arera which recognizes a tot to fix the pipes. Loss, waste and costs in the end they make up a circle that never closes. And then there's the detachment, a sense of being obscured by the society that makes us pay for water. “For one in six citizens – explains Berardi – the manager only deals with the supply of drinking water. Less than one citizen out of two knows that the manager is also involved in checking the quality and potability of the water”. Fourth-degree confusion with lack of communication that fuels suspicions about billing, consumption, service efficiency.
The projects of large Italian companies
Big companies like Acea or Hera cover it failings with websites and paperwork sent home. The Hera Group, for example, manages from collection to purification and distribution, from sewage systems to purification. Its industrial plan foresees investments for over 4,1 billion euros until 2026. On the occasion of the World Day launched the campaign "Water doesn't go down the drain." It is explained that after use it can be recovered and put back into the environment. Acea together with the Carabinieri promoted the'initiative "Acea for the community" to inform elderly people about water saving and about scams. The latest IPSOS survey says that Italians have changed their domestic habits. They use the washing machine more carefully, they pay attention to costs, general expenses, potability. As part of the ecological transition, Enea has issued a handbook against waste of water. Outside of Italy there are other initiatives and appeals. Ultimately today is a special day for water, a primary and indispensable asset. But it is worth remembering that the world day it applies only to those who always have it and in conditions of peace. We trust in 2024
