The water crisis has brought theLOVE (Azienda Meridionale Acque Messina) to review the drinking water distribution schedules in the city. For about ten days, the company on Viale Giostra has had to adapt the schedule of delivery times for each district, trying to best manage the available water resources and minimize inconvenience for the population.
As reported in the document updated to 1 July 2024 (which can be consulted here), the opening and closing times of the reservoirs serving the various areas of the city have been modified. These times, however, may vary further based on the availability of water, possible breakdowns, technical needs and maintenance interventions.
In the new table with the water distribution times in the city, out of 94 areas, 7 are under 5 hours.
Meanwhile, during today’s session of the city council, AMAM went into the technical details of the interventions with the president Loredana Goodnightwho retraced what has been done in recent months: “We are carrying out a plan of challenging projects that aim to improve the water network,” explained President Bonasera. “With respect to the water emergency that is gripping Sicily, it must be said that the monitoring of the aquifers has allowed us to immediately detect a reduction in the water supply over time, triggering a plan of targeted interventions, even before the regional ordinance was issued. In fact, the level of the Fiumefreddo aquifer in the period January-April 2024, which had already dropped by about 70 cm in 2023, has undergone a further drop of over 1.00 m. We intervened immediately with targeted interventions. Already in September 2023 we started the extraordinary cleaning of the springs. Interventions were carried out on the city wells for efficiency, recovering about 28 liters/s. We proceeded with the repair of the pipelines and, during the 6 scheduled disconnections from November to May, several pipeline repairs were carried out to make the network more efficient, recovering approximately 20 l/s. In February 2024, the Mayor urgently requested the Prefect to set up a technical table aimed at identifying the necessary proposals and solutions. Water research has begun in the northern area with reconnaissance of any existing wells, procedures for their rehabilitation, springs, and sub-alveolar research. We implemented all of this well before the regional ordinances and we did it because we have always worked to improve the water network and the service we provide to citizens. As Councilor Antonella Russo also pointed out in her speech, for the majority of the city population the inconvenience is marginal. In fact, it does not concern all districts. However, the company is close to all citizens and especially to those who are suffering the most from the inconvenience and we are ready to support them with concrete actions.”
AMAM and the administration have presented the interventions that will be started and those that are being evaluated: Project financing for a desalination plant under evaluation. The proposals sent to AMAM are being evaluated. The company has requested the availability of tankers, if necessary. The water from the Mili and San Saba purifiers and the “end of run” water from the fountains are being reused for irrigation and fire-fighting purposes. The city greenery will be cared for with tankers and non-potable water from Messina Servizi. The tanker service will be strengthened with the provision of vehicles and personnel available from the other subsidiaries. In terms of assistance, AMAM is proceeding to strengthen the complaints and reporting offices with additional personnel.
For the districts that currently have less than 5 hours of daily water supply, we will proceed with targeted interventions and tankers to support them.. The COC is ready to be activated in case of need. In the city, of the 94 distribution areas, only 8 record a delivery of less than 5 hours per day. In the remaining areas, the distribution average has dropped from the previous 18 hours to 13-14 hours, but remains significantly higher than in other Sicilian cities. In 41 districts, delivery is guaranteed between 15 and 24 hours, in 11 districts between 11 and 15 hours, and in 34 districts between 5 and 10 hours. The greatest inconveniences are recorded in the historically critical neighborhoods, on which the administrative action has concentrated, implementing all the necessary interventions, especially of a programmatic nature.
As regards the water supply tables area by area, AMAM would like to explain that the times indicated in the table refer to the opening and closing of the tanks serving the areas indicated. By virtue of this, some areas may experience delays due to the distance from the reservoir itself or local critical issues of individual buildings. These critical issues are the subject of ongoing interventions funded by the PNRR. AMAM also specifies that the timetables may still be subject to variations also depending on the availability of the water resource, any faults, technical needs and maintenance interventions.