Blue gold lost in European pipes
The EU's drinking water networks are far from perfect. In some parts of the Old Continent, more than 50% of resources are lost due to leaks from outdated infrastructure. This is a problem Europe is only just beginning to address.
In some parts of Basilicata, a picturesque region nestled in the hollow of Italy's boot, up to 70% of drinking water never reaches the tap. The region's coat of arms, featuring four blue wavelets representing the four rivers that flow through it, suggests a region rich in water. And then last summer arrived.
In 2024, Basilicata was hit by an unusually severe drought, which left the Camastra dam dry and 29 municipalities, or tens of thousands of people, without running water. The state declared a state of emergency between the fall and January of this year. The event shone a spotlight on a problem the region has long faced and has exacerbated this latest crisis: Basilicata's water supply network is a sieve. The region loses more than two-thirds of its water through outdated pipes—up to 70% in the capital, Potenza, according to the Italian Institute of Statistics.
The region is “returning to the Middle Ages due to a water shortage that is not only the consequence of heat waves and droughts, but also and above all of years and years of incompetence
Courrier International
