Drought Emergency: €5 million on the way to the Reggio Calabria metropolitan area

• 22 Jan 2026

After complex months marked by the state of emergency declared in September 2024, a turning point has arrived for the  water management of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. 

The National Extraordinary Commissioner for urgent interventions related to water scarcity, Nicola Dell’Acqua — speaker at the last edition of Accadueo in Bari during the institutional session organized by MASE and Istat — has formalized the allocation of essential resources for emergency management interventions.

Sorical, the integrated water service operator in Calabria, has been identified as the implementing body for the urgent interventions established by the Commissioner's Decree of December 31, 2025. Here are the details of the operation:

• 4.79 million euros specifically allocated to the Reggio area
• Targeted interventions on wells, pipelines, and interconnections to immediately mitigate critical issues

These funds are part of a broader National Drought Plan worth 36.4 million euros, aimed at various regions at risk. Calabria is thus fully included among the priorities of the National Steering Committee, with strategic works ready to start to ensure supply security.

Planned Interventions

Specifically, the allocated funds will finance four strategic interventions:

• Bypass in Laureana di Borrello: Construction of a bypass of approximately 500 meters on the "Pozzi Anguilla" line to restore the connection interrupted by a landslide.
• Technological Revamping: Modernization of existing wells and the MV/lv substation through the installation of new submerged units and electrical panels.
• Calopinace-Trabocchetto Enhancement: Doubling of the DN300 pipeline for a 750-meter section, aiming to increase flow towards the Trabocchetto reservoir.
• Construction of new emergency wells in Palmi: Drilling of new emergency wells (including electromechanical systems) and laying of a 2.75 km DN250 pressure pipeline to transport water to the S. Vito di Seminara lifting plant.

Strategic Objectives

The interventions will be carried out in derogation of ordinary procedures to shorten execution times, while still ensuring compliance with anti-mafia regulations and EU constraints. The goal is a rapid start of the works, as early as the second half of 2026, to immediately mitigate the water crisis and increase system resilience, while respecting both environmental and economic sustainability.

The topics of leak reduction solutions and water reuse to combat drought will also be central to the next edition of Accadueo, which will be held from November 26 to 27, 2026, at the Nuova Fiera del Levante in Bari.

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