" Making farmers choose which crops to save and which to leave at the mercy of drought, condemning them to death, represents the negation of modern agriculture. A dramatic prospect that, due to the lack of water and the absence of effective planning of the water system in Northern Sardinia, seems to be increasingly likely, as also emerged recently from the latest meetings. In this way, we risk bringing the entire agro-pastoral sector to its knees for the rest of the year ."
This is the alarm raised by Coldiretti Nord Sardegna , which once again puts under scrutiny the persistent difficulties that are affecting the agricultural world of the territory.
"We have long been shining a spotlight on water management and making concrete proposals to resolve critical issues, but many of these seem to have run aground in the meanders of institutional bureaucracy - denounce the president and director of Coldiretti Nord Sardegna, Antonello Fois and Marco Locci - we sat at technical tables, we developed solutions and presented proposals to politics, but to date these seem to have been lost in the rooms of the institutions . Water scarcity cannot force producers to make dramatic choices, with devastating consequences for the agricultural sector and for the entire local economy".
Meanwhile, the main water basins in the area, particularly in Nurra, such as Cuga, have reached alarming levels, compromising the water supply for agriculture . "The current availability is around 5 million cubic meters of water - explains Coldiretti -, compared to a need of at least 30 million to guarantee the survival of crops. An extremely worrying level that suggests a dramatic irrigation season".
"The voices of hundreds of farmers and breeders - Coldiretti continues - who took to the streets in recent months and weeks to demonstrate and meet with institutions, have not been heard . Despite some progress, such as the use of purified wastewater, the structural issues remain unresolved. The lack of effective planning of the water system in Northern Sardinia continues to worsen the crisis, while farmers remain without answers and without certainties.
With the summer season now upon us and water reserves at historic lows, "the outlook is far from reassuring - conclude Fois and Locci - Coldiretti will continue to press institutions, particularly regional ones, to adopt concrete and urgent measures to address the emergency. It is essential to make a plan for the water system a reality to guarantee a sustainable future for Sardinian agriculture and prevent further economic and social damage . The situation in Northern Sardinia requires immediate interventions and long-term planning to respond to the challenges posed by climate change and water resource management".
(Online Union)