Yellow Toned Foundation

Strategies wins and big business along the water way. The case of the Aeolian Islands. December 13

Carlo Ruta

A story Representative maps of appropriation of water resources. Is treated as the discomfort of Lipari and Salina, where water has always been lacking, it remains the most expensive in Italy. The agreements that are the background, from Palermo to Rome. The close of SOGESID islands.

As expected, in the Sicily of water privatization, the anomalies, rather than running out of the bidding, in some ATO with results from the scandal, have implications more disturbing as they move along the vicissitudes of entire populations who lack delivery of necessary water and pay more expensive than in other parts of the country. The interested parties are taking action in order to place themselves in effect, paying the alms tradition, that is, doing the accounts to the end with the intricacies of powers, legal and not only that lock the territories. The misunderstandings of the present merge in substance with those of the past, with more or less perfect matches. Things could not go the rest otherwise. Throughout the decades that preceded the law Galli, water management in the island, organized by municipal and EAS, has never been properly public, but calling into question strong interests and factions of all kinds. The clamor that involved the judicial regional body that, by the bribery scandal Gunner dell'Ancipa, we give an account. The new situation, already reprehensible for downgrade of the common good water to a commodity, the island is running out, however, the worse things beyond measure. And to test the atmosphere, over the territories, in the case of build on the Aeolian islands, where, at the scene of the emergency water convulsive reality converge influential, from a powerful company of public law: the SOGESID spa.

For geological reasons especially, the archipelago is burdened by an endemic lack of water, which we tried to solve, even before that with supplies from tankers and tanker, with a desalination plant, built in Lipari about thirty years ago by Region Sicily, administered EAS long and, like all others in Sicily, which ended recently in a private management, the entrepreneur Vincenzo Di Pietro nissen, which has fielded, in order, a company ad hoc The Gedis, now in judicial administration. This is an out and just working . With its three modules, to full capacity, it should produce 6000 cubic meters of drinking water per day. Instead it produces a little more 2000 cubic meters, well below that of the needs. The emergency, which adds to that in the Aeolian transport, remains at the zenith, while the cost for water the inhabitants of Lipari and the other islands, already high, has become particularly odious. The desalinated water is delivered at € 4.80 per cubic meter, about 7 € supplied by the tanker, even up to 13 €, including VAT, as measured by the tanker. But in spite of all this, there are institutions such as pipelines that carry the burden of solving things?

The alarm on lack of water has been launched in recent years at various levels: by the prefect of Alecci Francesco Messina, the mayors of Lipari, Leni, Malfa, Santa Marina Salina, Milazzo, the parliamentarians Messina Germanà and D'Alia. The matter has been invested and then the regional government responsible for the branch. They've taken charge in particular, Raffaele Lombardo, some exponents presidential entourage: Ross Hinton, former Regional Minister for the Environment and now director of that department, the attorney Felice Crosta, president of the Regional Waste and water, created by Cuffaro, which was formally abolished, but still active, Ignazio Puccio, director of the MRA and Plenipotentiary of the crust in many disputes along the Sicilian ATO. It is, as is evident, the staff that is setting the privatization process, which is associated with a presence in the story Aeolian assume decisive importance: the lawyer Louis Pelaggi, a director of SOGESID spa. It is then appropriate to define what is and what role the company enter into this story.

Founded in 1994 as a dealer with the operation of some sewage treatment plants in the region of Campania, Sogesit spa has taken on the burden of supporting the Law Galli, through the drafting and implementation of area plans of industrial action, within the aqueduct, purification and sewage throughout the country. By decision of the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Infrastructure is since 2007 has become a tool in house, but, in deference to the law precisely Galli, insisted to move in a private, enough to find the center of a vast circuit of interest, however, while borrowing traits and attitudes of the many useless bodies who did a little 'history of the republic. For these reasons, several times has been the subject of parliamentary questions. The deputy Ugo Lisi has applied for liquidation. Senator Roberto Della Seta has reported, as well as the lack of any public utility, especially after the recent establishment ISPRA laying similar functions, the operational darkness, lack of transparency in recruitment of staff, the high salaries of the areas of management. And with that feedback , which combines the opacity of the public and private, the company has focused on the business house in Lipari, with the vehemence of a strong power, meanwhile, had become important because the stakes.

The alarm raised by the Mayor of Lipari Mariano Bruno, co-workers of the smaller islands and the prefect Alecci, meanwhile, which has been given the post of delegate for the Commissioner water emergency, could not actually remain unheard, especially after the implosion of economic and judicial Di Vincenzo, who has substantial effect on the inefficiency of the desalination plant. They could also be underestimated the risks to the dignity of the archipelago, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He then arose in 2007, a bill by the Ministry of overfunding, then right by Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, for about € 38 million. This was however only a good start, because for the next decade other contributions are announced by the European Union and elsewhere: as required in the final analysis because strong interests be turned in the direction of the Aeolian Islands. There is also enough to draw the regional administration, which for over a decade reserves emergency in Sicily a substantial chapter of costs, managed personally by the special commissioners, without which, significantly, have failed to calculate or not matters little, the problems of the water.

Vincent The obstacle was removed easily because the contract between the operator of the desalination plant to the region is close to expiry, and the entrepreneur nissen, put on the ropes by the courts and the complaints of the mayor Rosario cross, is no longer able to sustain the game. With peremptory, despite the protests of several advisers, who wrote to the prefect Alecci, the municipality Lipari has put in to remove a further problem, canceling a contract which was awarded in 2000 Lot spa. It was finally overcome the obstacle of ' Authority for the supervision of public procurement, which has definitely challenged the agreement signed between the company and the mayor liparitano. The center-playing by the SOGESID was then quickly captured, with the presentation, approved a project for integrated water cycle, the first for 29 million euro, to be drawn from the 38 currently available. On the other hand, the Director-General of the Ministry of Environment Gianfranco Mascazzini, consulted on the agreement Aeolian, did not hesitate to say that it was decisions taken at the highest levels within the Ministry, for strong interests, and irrevocable.

SOGESID The connection of the archipelago, and together with the leaders of the region and with the ARRA's Crust and Puccio, will still be completed February 17, 2009, when one of the three board members of society Advocate Pelaggi Louis, member of the Technical Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment, was appointed by order of Prime Minister Berlusconi, Deputy Commissioner for the emergency water supply in the islands. It is, as is evident in appoint a forced overlap of fact, no reason of public interest, that of Prefect Aleck, who, as a representative of the government even more than from Commissioner, was recognized among the most impartial in dealing with the emergency. Such a step, however, it became necessary to bring everything in the beds down, smoothly.

There are definitely merit in the SOGESID known precisely for golden salaries enjoyed by its leaders, can make immense profits from the archipelago and durable, drawing on public resources at all levels, but in exchange for such benefits for the inhabitants of Lipari and the other islands? On balance, no. As is clear from the project, the price of the desalinated water will be maintained at € 4.80 per cubic meter, which is the most expensive in Italy, even with the possibility of increases in the years to come. It is also already put in account that the intervention of society will not solve the water deficit in the final of the Aeolian Islands. The proof? A substantial supply of water will continue to be by sea, via tanker. As is already fifteen years, at the request of the Sicilian Region, December 3, 2008, the Ministry of Defence has signed it with the company Marnavi of Naples, with procedure negotiated pursuant to art. 57 of Law Decree 163/06, a contract to supply water to the island of Lipari for an amount of 26,000,000 euro, VAT included, for only 2 million cubic meters. In essence, the inhabitants of the archipelago, under the auspices of the society in house, the water will continue to pay the price, quite incongruously, of 13 euro per cubic meter.

In fact, SOGESID if item is good reason to maintain, in fact, the existing state of things, the more it has to come to terms with the Marne, which is the owner's power consolidated in the field, with strong referents in the institutions. In fact ends with the servant, with mutual gain, documentary evidence and not just because they remain very profitable and expendable fund deficits. In this logic, it is significant, however, the way the Neapolitan shipping company stands in the country and, in particular, in each of the islands.

Chaired by Dominic Iervoli, the Marne, specializes in the transportation of chemicals. It owns twenty-seven vessels operating on the international market , eight of them carrying water and food for the community of the Italian islands. Like other shipping companies, not very devoted to the national interest. He built In fact, several ships in Asiatic Turkey, near Tuzla, known for hosting the greatest concentration of shipbuilding land, forty-five yards lined up side by side. Nevertheless enjoys high esteem by the government headquarters. It can not be normal value. As reported, about fifteen years, the company supplies water to the Aeolian Islands, with annual agreements, clearly, without any calculation of cost, while the Region and the Ministry of Defence could find appropriate solutions, through better targeted agreements or the 'performance of regular tenders. With regard to the opportunity then, appear far from the ridiculous problems that have presented so far, unloading in port areas of Lipari, next to the domestic: the losses in sea water to drinking excessive noise at all hours of day and night.

Evidently, despite the accounts can not return, the die is cast, in full respect of tradition. There was however a problem that can be shed to make things better and, above all, measurable business archipelago. This entry into the scene of a German company, the Aqua Blue of Bubesheim, working in various areas: water purification, water systems, solar energy. Klaus Dieter Simon, who knows Italy well for her long association, is its CEO. And in that capacity in 2007 has submitted to the territorial and regional authorities a proposal for a convention, still under art. 57 of Decree-Law 163/06, for the final solution of the water emergency of the Aeolian Islands. The company, in particular, has undertaken to install, Lipari and the smaller islands, several desalination modules of new generation, so bulky as the current or pollutant, in order to resolve the full water needs, at no cost to status, region and municipalities and request to have against the public part, only a service delivered, the payment of water at a cost fluctuated between 1.05 and 1.21 euro, VAT excluded.

Among the fare that brought the administrator of the German and required by almost 5 € SOGESID, which become as much as 13 with the intervention of the Marne, of course runs an abyss, which is ultimately what separates two specific ways of being and relating to the public good. On one side is Klaus Dieter Simon, who has decided not to pay any donation to the tradition of doing business and then in the most civil. Secondly there are the regional potentates, the operational arm of the arrival, the feudal lords water resources, which, after due consideration, have agreed to maintain high fees in the case of the Aeolian Islands just up to capacity, despite the needs of the community. All this, proving that in the time of privatization, especially in Sicily, the selection of guests to the great deal of water, which includes parts of the archipelago, is going for the worst.

Anyway, here is the continuation of history. Faced with the obvious opportunities of the German proposal, the prefect Alecci, which commissioner delegated to the water emergency in the Aeolian islands, it has proved, once again, as a result. During the meeting the committee Technical thereto, which was held October 28, 2008, at the Ministry of Environment, reported it favorably. He had, however, deal with the opposition, irreducible and granted, the engineer Puccio arrival, which, with very few arguments in that case ruled impossible seawater desalination cost-backed Klaus Dieter Simon . The games were made, of course, and the appointment of Pelaggi, already on my list, was to close the topic.

Source: "The island as possible," the monthly magazine Sicilian attached to "Il Manifesto"