"As mayors of the area, many of us have asked Abbanoa management to suspend water restrictions for the months of December and January, especially given the heavy rains that have been affecting northwest Sardinia for days. We hope these rains will help restore reservoir levels." The mayor of Sennori, Nicola Sassu, is trying to move beyond the water emergency plaguing northwest Sardinia, which has created major supply difficulties for homes and businesses in the municipalities served, particularly by the Bidighinzu water treatment plant, which are forced to see water gush from their taps every other day. "We have also asked the Prefect to open a crisis committee dedicated exclusively to managing the water emergency."
In recent months, the municipal administration has done everything in its power to find alternative water supply solutions, given that Sennori is supplied by both local wells and the Bidighinzu. "Throughout this period of grave difficulty for residents and businesses, forced to make significant sacrifices due to the ongoing drought and water restrictions, we have never lost sight of our primary commitment to finding solutions to alleviate the difficulties of the Sennori residents. The entire municipal administration has worked hard to find ways to compensate for the lack of 24-hour water supply from Abbanoa, with particular attention to emergency situations and vulnerable people," says Civil Protection Councilor Michele Soggia. With a resolution last July, the municipal council declared a state of natural disaster due to the ongoing severe drought. This resolution established an extraordinary fund of €156,000 for actions aimed at combating the water crisis. At the same time, an extraordinary contribution was requested from the Civil Protection Department for essential interventions to address the emergency. The action plan prepared by the Municipality is divided into various interventions, for which funds totaling €385,000 have been requested.
These include the reactivation of the Su Lotto well, inactive for years due to vandalism and currently the subject of a restoration project; the construction of a new water treatment plant connected to the Abbanoa network to ensure service continuity even in the event of future restrictions; the installation of a submersible pump in the existing well in the Parish Benefit Garden and the creation of a water intake point serving residents and agricultural businesses; the construction of a spring water recovery plant and the creation of a public water intake point in Funtana Fritta; and the construction of a new well with a water intake point serving residents and agricultural businesses at the "Basilio Canu" sports field. In addition to these projects, a request for a municipal water tanker is also being made, essential for rapid intervention at the most critical points. To date, of all these requests, the municipal administration has only been allocated €111,000 for the reactivation of the existing well in Su Lotto, and responses for other funding are pending. In addition to these short and medium-term projects, the Municipality has also taken action to find immediate solutions and, in collaboration with Abbanoa, has increased the flow rate of the Terraculos wells, thus delaying the lack of water in some areas of the town in the days surrounding the scheduled closures, including the one in the Su Lotto area where an old well with a flow rate of around 1.5–2 litres per second has been put back into operation, which has contributed to improving the situation especially in the lower part of Montigeddu and in Salamagna.
Work on the new Su Lotto well and the restoration of the 400-cubic-meter tanks is nearing completion. Once the installations are complete and the new system is operational, the Administration will be able to begin discussions with Abbanoa to negotiate a relaxation of the current restrictions. A submersible pump has been installed in the Orto del Beneficio Parrocchiale well on Via Brigata Sassari, creating a water intake point for residents and businesses. Water systems at all local schools have been upgraded with the installation of new tanks, thus also avoiding temporary closures. In collaboration with Social Services and the Registry Office, a list of the most vulnerable citizens, aged 70 and over, has been compiled to enable prompt intervention in times of need. The City Council, at the request of the minority and with unanimous approval after amendments from the majority, has decided to identify the families most in need, to whom it will be possible to consider providing water tanks and direct support to address the ongoing crisis.