The shadow of drought and a water network with various problems have led the Municipality of Villafranca to ask for support from the regional Department of Civil Protection. With a detailed technical report, the municipal offices requested the release of financing for the purchase of a tanker, a means now considered indispensable to guarantee minimum sanitation services. The monitoring describes a complicated situation: in the period of peak consumption there is a structural water deficit equal to 32% of the total requirement. A combination of weather factors and structural problems is behind the crisis. The prolonged periods of drought in recent months have drastically reduced the flow of local wells and springs.
To definitively complicate the situation, a serious fault occurred along the primary pipeline that connects the Tracanali spring to the Romeo reservoir, in the Castello area. The recovery promises to be long. The leak is in fact located in an impervious and steep area, without roads, where heavy vehicles cannot carry out excavation manoeuvres. Furthermore, the pipe crosses the methane pipeline line and for safety reasons traditional mechanical excavations are prohibited, forcing technicians to operate under strict protocols and wait for the green light from the gas management bodies. The consequences for citizens are serious. The lack of pressure prevents water from reaching domestic users in the hilly hamlets and in the highest places, such as Castello and Divieto, leaving entire families without water.
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