Floods and landslides, the risks for businesses.Face to face at Dire between Cna and Anbi

Among the main topics discussed, hydrogeological risks related to climate change, what are the risks for businesses?

ROME – Face to face at the headquarters of the Dire tra news agency Barbara Gatto, head of environmental policies at CNA e Massimo Gargano, general director of Anbi, the national association of land and irrigation water management and protection consortia.Among the main topics discussed, hydrogeological risks related to climate change, what are the risks for businesses?

CAT (CNA):“BUSINESSES ARE NOT LEFT ALONE”

“What is emerging at the moment is a widespread awareness of the need to protect ourselves from the hydrogeological risks associated with climate change. There are more vulnerable sectors such as agriculture and tourism.However, we have also seen from the recent national climate adaptation plan that a large portion of our territory is at risk and therefore also the companies that operate in that territory" says Barbara Gatto, Head of Environmental Policies of the CNA, in a face to face meeting with Massimo Gargano, general director of Anbi, the national association of consortia for the management and protection of land and irrigation water which took place in the headquarters of the Dire agency.Especially after the latest events in Emilia Romagna, Tuscany and Marche, continues the Cna manager, "the topic has acquired very high attention with specific prevention paths with respect to the characteristics of the territory, obviously also with support from our Confederation in terms of awareness and support.Something is moving more than in the past, also by sharing and systematizing virtuous experiences".
“It's also true that not everything can be solved by businesses.The redevelopment of the territory is a topic that requires strong governance, adequate planning that the public must take charge of.From this point of view, a push for individual member states to equip themselves more incisively can be useful for accelerating risk mitigation policies", concludes Gatto.

GARGANO (ANBI):“NOT JUST AN EMERGENCY, PREVENTION IS NECESSARY”

“Due to the structuring of climate change, water is a more difficult resource to retain in the area, our 980 hydrogeological systems spread throughout the country struggle to lift this water and pour it into the sea. Italy is the front office where the hot African areas collide with the cold Baltic ones, a phenomenon that involves water bombs and irregular rainfall" explains Massimo Gargano, director general of Anbi.For years, continues the director general of the Anbi, "we thought as subjects who supplied water to three and a half million hectares of plains.Today all this is no longer possible.Today we supply water with tankers, we have already done so this year in Piedmont and Sicily, because there is a lack of drinking water."
“Setting up a business has enormous costs, seeing it filled with mud probably means having wasted this money.It is therefore necessary to start posing the problem to other subjects and with them try to raise awareness among Italian and European institutions.The countries bordering the Mediterranean such as Portugal, Spain, France and Italy are more affected by these risks and have a greater need to activate prevention policies.This confrontation at Dire is a beautiful day for the system, with one entity that from north to south of the country deals with the ordinary and extraordinary maintenance of the infrastructure, and the other that represents an important productive world. From this I believe moments of convergence can arise, especially to create a resource culture.Today, with regards to water, everything is focused on the emergency, we must work in prevention, it costs less, it is better planned and above all it does not block the economy".

“The country is clearly divided in two.A totally critical situation in the South where there is a lack of water, particularly in Sicily" says Gargano, and continues "the emergency today also fully concerns Lazio, Rome, Abruzzo, Sardinia.
Vice versa in the rest of the country had a lucky year from a water point of view:we had 70% more snow.Two years ago it was the exact opposite, we had water in the central-south and we didn't have it in the north.This means that this country must be equipped with infrastructure, above all small and medium-sized reservoirs are needed, not concrete.Reservoirs that are capable of recharging the aquifer and producing energy from photovoltaic and wherever possible also with pumping, therefore hydroelectric, which in all cases allows the costs of reclamation consortia and citizens to be reduced.This challenge would lead us to collect more rainwater.Today we only collect 11%, we need to reach at least 50%.I believe it is the challenge of the future."