The shadow of landslides and floods, the alarm goes off: "More than 120 thousand Sardinians at risk"

In Sardinia, there are 122,963 inhabitants in flood risk areas : 7.5% of the population. They are distributed over 973.97 square kilometers, divided into just over 50 thousand families (50,361, to be precise). The buildings that could end up under water are 45,459, while 9,854 businesses are threatened (8.4% of those active on the island) and 432 cultural assets.

Given the precedents, it doesn't take science to know that when it rains heavily, Pirri (in Cagliari), Olbia or Bosa end up flooded . But scientific expertise has been useful in developing the highly detailed IdroGeo map of Ispra (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), which through geolocalization allows us to discover how much and where the hydrogeological risk is present throughout Italy, including the islands (and Sardinia). The tables also report the parameters to identify which areas are at greatest risk of landslides. In this case, net of some more fragile areas (concentrated in the Supramonte of Oliena, on the coast of Baunei and Dorgali, in Jerzu, along the 125 in the Urzulei area and, elsewhere, between Alghero and Bosa) the numbers are much less worrying than those regarding water. In Sardinia, just 8,000 inhabitants have to fear falling rocks.

Under the shadow of possible landslides and floods, the municipality of Pirri cannot find peace, grappling with the nightmare of floods that repeat themselves every year: the usual film. «In reality, the new collector , in via Sironi, has held up, and the water has been able to flow away», explains Maria Laura Manca , president of the municipal council, «a part of this work has already been completed, now the construction site should be finished in two/three weeks . And this is a first intervention, to follow, within two years, there will be others, we proceed step by step. Of course, we must not forget the morphology of Pirri , which collects the waters of the hospital area, of via Cadello, of via Riva Villasanta and Baracca Manna».