Sardinian farmers are not having it . After the statements of the sole director of Enas, who pointed the finger at the agricultural sector as the main responsible for water waste, comes the response of Coldiretti Sardegna: «It is unacceptable to blame those who work every day to guarantee food and protect the territory. The real problem is not the fields, but the obsolete infrastructures that disperse 50% of the water in leaky pipes , well before it reaches the farmers».
The association also clarifies that farmers have been investing in advanced technologies to optimize the use of water resources for years now. But while everyone does their part, institutions continue to ignore the problem of water infrastructure. "It is absurd that in Sardinia millions of cubic meters of water are discharged into the sea instead of being conserved for periods of drought. Where are the investments to improve the management of water resources?"
And so Coldiretti, to clarify, has drawn up a decalogue of questions directed at Enas, highlighting the critical issues of the system :
1) Does the administrator of Enas know that the water used and paid for irrigation is not "wasted", but returns to the natural cycle, contributing to the recharge of the aquifers and the conservation of the soil ?
2) Do you know that the main problem of water loss is not agriculture but the leaky pipelines that lose 50% of the water? Who manages them?
3) Are you aware that irrigated fields produce food that helps the environment such as a corn field that captures 50 tons of carbon dioxide or a vineyard 14, demonstrating the environmental value of agriculture?
4) Do you know that the Land Reclamation Consortia are investing large sums of money from their members, therefore farmers, in water saving and in loss reduction activities?
5) What extraordinary interventions is Enas carrying out or are being in irrigation pipes and networks?
