Monday, August 18, 2008

PIOVE SEMPRE SUL BAGNATO

Piove sempre sul bagnato = "It always rains on wet ground"
- Italian proverb.
This is a follow-up to my previous post about the dire water supply situation in that loveliest of cities, Agrigento:

Soldiers and night-watchmen have so far failed to solve the problem of "theft" of water coming from the pipeline at Gela, so now the police have been brought in. It is estimated that 80 litres of water "disappear" per second and often ingenious methods and equipment are being used to siphon it off. One arrest has been made today. As I mentioned before, it is often local farmers, desperate to save their crops, who are reported to be involved. The pipeline is made of fibreglass and is said to be easy to tamper with.

The poor citizens of the town have to make do with "refills" for their dwellings every 10 days and it seems that they have had to put up with this for 20 years or so, in summer. Here the longest I've been without water is 6 days, 2 summers ago, and that drove me crazy, so I cannot imagine ever having the pazienza of the folk of Agrigento!

14 comments:

Maria said...

Oh wow! I can't imagine in this day an age that we have reasons to steal water. It's so sad.

Hopefully something can be done but I am not sure what.

Water is necessary for survival.

M

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, M. Yes, it's incredible in western Europe in this day and age, isn't it? Auguri.

Indigo-Daisy said...

The things we take for granted. Our pipes froze once and I was without water over the Christmas holiday. Having to do without for a while really put things in perspective.

Cat said...

I remember some of the water troubles we had when I was over there. I believe (and I lived in Palermo so it might be different) that there was some element of organised crime in the mix that held some of the water to ransom - certainly that was the whispering among my Sicilian friends. Knowing Gela, I'd be surprised if it was just local farmers out for some water to irrigate their land - this water has been systematically stolen for decades. It is interesting that the news article says that this has been going on for 20 years without any arrests until now - or when there is an arrest, it is one or two local farmers.
To me, that seems to indicate that there had been some 'arrangements' in place that might be beginning to be challenged.
Water is political.

Dragonstar said...

Obviously there are advantages to living in a wet northern country. We don't have your sun, but we can drink and wash.

Ellee Seymour said...

How very interesting. I hope to be writing about this too when I have a chance. I'm meeting scientists soon who are trying to develop new techniques to help farmers grow crops during drought stress.

flutterby said...

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Don't know where that came from. But it is too bad that with all the water in the sea a cost-effective, efficient way to extract drinkable water from the sea hasn't been found.

By the way, how is Miss Simi. We haven't heard from her in a while.

Whispering Walls said...

It must add a new dimension to property prices there - the closer the house to the desal plant, the higher its value.

Liz Hinds said...

Please, please, stop talking about lack of water!!!

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

I just couldn't imagine it...it must be something if you have to steal water!!

Surprised we haven't had our normal "hosepipe ban" !! you know how batty this country is :-)

Oh yes we might get some "sun" on friday :-)

CherryPie said...

I guess people must get pretty desperate without water. It makes me appreciate even more what we have over here.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, indigo-daisy. It must have been terrible to have been without water over Xmas! Cb, "Water is political": I couldn't agree more. Thanks for your take on it. Hi, dragonstar. Yes, living in a wet, northern country does have its advantages! Drinking water is not a problem as most of us here prefer mineral water. The tap water is drinkable; it's just a matter of taste and habit. But I never had to think before how much water it takes to flush a loo - 4 litres! Thanks, Ellee. looking forward to your posts on this. Hi, flutterby. You are right, but it is not really drinking water that is the problem. Simi is fine and thanks you for asking. She is just taking it easy in the heat. WW - I never thought of that! Sorry, Liz, but it's a big issue here. Hi, Anne. People here don't believe me when I tell them about hosepipe bans in the UK! Hi, cherrypie. Well, it drives me absolutely nuts!

jmb said...

One of the biggest issues for poor old Sicily. Lack of water. It is horrible for everyone. Six days, unimaginable. No wonder you are so nervous about it all the time.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, jmb. Yes, it was awful that time!

Counters


View My Stats