Old pipes reduced to a sieve, water leaks on the streets, cloudy water that comes out of the taps and, what's more, the smell is nauseating. In the height of the tourist season, residents and operators of Cala d'Oliva, one of the villages on the island of Asinara, are on a war footing.
For a few days, in fact, yellow water has been gushing out in homes and structures: it is impossible to wash or cook, let alone quench your thirst. Accused Abbanoa, the managing body that is carrying out interventions to take charge of the water, sewage and purification infrastructures of the island.
«Rivers of water are lost in the streets that come out of the now old and no longer functional pipelines», complains Enrico Mereu, the resident sculptor of Asinara, «a real emergency situation due to the lack of water, a condition that forces us to move to Elighe Mannu for the supply of drinkable spring water, because the one that comes out of the taps, just a tiny bit, has an unpleasant smell». The same inconvenience also applies to the Cala d'Oliva hostel.
Before signing the deed for the transfer of water infrastructure from the Municipality to Abbanoa, as envisaged in the agreement on 15 July 2022, the same company took care of drawing up the "state of consistency" of the works and the Plan of interventions to be implemented for improve its functionality.
Among these, the renovation of the connections for the users of Cala d'Oliva, Cala Reale and Fornelli and the adaptation of the water tanks of Cala d'Oliva and Cala Reale were identified as priorities. Works that proceed slowly and create many inconveniences for those who live and work in Cala d'Oliva. A year has passed and we are still waiting for the deed of transfer of the works from the Municipality to the sole manager to become effective, as well as for the completion of the interventions. The document had been signed by Egas, Abbanoa, the Coast Conservatory and the Municipality of Porto Torres.