For World Water Day, March 22, it is a flourishing of initiatives, commitments, promises, reminders, appeals and proclamations. Among many documents, the European House-Ambrosetti one stands out: the value of water is equal to 17.5% of the Italian GDP and is comparable with the GDP of a country like South Africa. But Italy is a country at risk when it comes to water and sustainable development. And the losses from the aqueducts are growing because,
according to what Ambrosetti reports in the White Paper 2021, the result of the Community Value Water Observatory for Italy, today our country is in 18th place in Europe in the indices used to understand how the efficient management of water resources impacts on the 17 development objectives sustainable development of the UN Agenda 2030, the so-called “goals”.
The map of the supply chain
The White Paper “Water Value for Italy 2021” contains a complete mapping of the extended water supply chain in Italy: the managers of the aqueducts and those who provide the service, the agricultural sector, industrial uses, technology suppliers, institutions that govern the water. Since 2019 The European House-Ambrosetti has brought together this supply chain in the Community Valore Water for Italy of which today they are partners: A2A, Celli Group, MM, Smat, Acquedotto Pugliese, Anbi National Association of Consortia for the management and protection of the territory and irrigation water , Schneider Electric, Sit Group, Fisia Italimpianti – Webuild, Soteco, Rdr, Consorzio Idrico Terra di Lavoro, Brianzacque, Padania Acque and Maddalena.
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The numbers of water
The White Paper is the result of the collection of multi-year economic data of 2 million companies operating in the extended water supply chain, for a total of over 50 million observations, and highlights that the turnover of the extended water cycle sector in the period 2013-2019 it grew by + 4.4% on average per year, reaching a value of 21.4 billion euros.
From an employment point of view, it grows annually (again in the period 2013-2019) by + 1.7%, double that obtained by the average of Italian companies and above the average of the manufacturing sector, which remained substantially unchanged in the period ( + 0.1%).
In practice, if the extended water cycle were considered as a single sector, it would be positioned as the 2nd industrial sector for employment growth in the period 2013-2019, out of 50 sectors surveyed.
Few investments and old aqueducts
Unfortunately, the sector suffers from a limited investment rate. With 40 euros per inhabitant per year (compared to a European average of 100 euros), Italy is at the bottom of the European ranking for investments in the water sector, ahead only of Romania and Malta. Water infrastructure is old and inefficient.
About 60% of the national water network is over 30 and 25% over 50.
47.6% of the water withdrawn for potable use is dispersed: 42% only in the distribution networks, 10 percentage points more than 10 years ago, compared to 23% of the European average.
Italy drinks bottled
Italy is a heavily draining country with the aggravating circumstance of almost always uncontrolled waste. With 153 cubic meters per capita per year, Italy is the second country in the European Union for withdrawals of water for drinking use (twice higher than the European average).
Moreover, with 200 liters per capita consumed per year, it is the first country in the world for the consumption of bottled mineral water (compared to a European average of 118 liters), despite the fact that the quality of the water that comes out of our taps is the best. of Europe.