His reappointment as head of the Central Sardinia Land Reclamation Consortium lasted only a few minutes, just enough time to reiterate the priority of his mandate: building the new Abba Luchente dam to guarantee water and a future for agriculture in Alta Baronia . Ambrogio Guiso brought back to the table an issue that has divided administrators and communities for years: the dam on the Rio Posada, considered by some to be essential for irrigation, by others a threat to the environment and the coastline. While the mayor of Siniscola, Gian Luigi Farris, has always expressed support for the dam ("it would be the salvation of the entire area"), those who have been most forcefully opposed to it over the past fifteen years have been the mayors of Posada, concerned about the potential damage to the wetland ecosystems at the river's mouth and the risk of further beach erosion.
This cautious approach has also raised concerns among the other municipalities in the Tepilora Park—Bitti, Lodè, and Torpè—where the project was often perceived as too invasive for a protected area. A particular factor was the initial size of the reservoir, designed to hold 80 million cubic meters of water. "It's too impactful," Guiso himself now acknowledges, and is open to mediation: "Let's reduce the capacity to 30 million cubic meters, but let's build it. The current water insecurity doesn't allow for multi-year irrigation plans, which would have a significant impact on rural activities." This proposal appears to have allayed resistance and fostered a more collaborative dialogue. And the Park itself is also signaling a break with the past.
"We have left all assessments to the Region," says Posada's president and mayor, Salvatore Ruiu. "If the resources are available, let's move forward." These words could reopen the political and technical debate on the project, marking a new phase in the debate: one in which, ideological differences aside, we will try to determine whether a scaled-down project can reconcile environmental protection and water security for the area.
