Mayor of Ribera calls on Enel to transfer water from the Gammauta reservoir to the Castello Dam

Last Updated: March 12, 2024

Siccità, il sindaco di Ribera: «L'Enel faccia arrivare l'acqua dell'invaso Gammauta alla diga Castello»

The mayor of Ribera, Matteo Ruvolo, along with a representation of mayors and administrators from the municipalities of the area (the mayor of Burgio, Enzo Galifi; the deputy mayor and councilor of Calamonaci, Calogero Perricone and Vincenzo Montalbano; the mayor of Cattolica Eraclea, Santino Borsellino and the mayor of Montallegro, Giovanni Cirillo), met yesterday (March 11) with the prefect of Agrigento, Filippo Romano, to discuss the drought emergency that is severely affecting agriculture in the area. The gravity of the situation was highlighted due to the lack of water in the reservoirs with a serious risk of compromising the future of farms and agricultural businesses. This creates concern and alarm among farmers.

Despite the scarcity of rain, a good amount of water from the Sosio Verdura river continues to flow continuously to the Gammauta dam, which is leased to Enel for the production of electricity. Mayor Ruvolo strongly reiterated what he had already proposed during the meeting held in Ribera on February 29 to the regional authorities, imposing on Enel the immediate suspension of energy production until the end of the emergency, in order to allow the transfer of water from the Gammauta dam to the Castello dam through the existing connecting channel.

The prefect, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, expressed willingness to act promptly to make this happen as soon as possible; he will send a note to the President of the Region, Renato Schifani, the Regional Councilor for Agriculture Luca Sammartino, and the Commissioner of the drought crisis unit Dario Cartabellotta, to follow up on the mayors’ request. “I want to thank – says Mayor Ruvolo – the Prefect for his prompt availability and attention to the needs of the agricultural sector. The trust in his support for the solution of this emergency is strong and unconditional.”