'It's a war between the poor' - How drought threatens the survival of Sicily's towns

An ancient Sicilian proverb goes like this: "When water flows to two fountains, one will stay dry - that's how it goes."The residents of the small town of Troina in the heart of Sicily, struck by a long and unprecedented drought, perhaps understand its meaning better than anyone else.

- Lorenzo Tondo

An ancient Sicilian proverb goes like this: "When water flows to two fountains, one will stay dry - that's how it goes."

The residents of the small town of Troina in the heart of Sicily, struck by a long and unprecedented drought, perhaps understand its meaning better than anyone else. When authorities decreed that the little water left in their dam should be shared with the villages of another province, they took action, and, on 30 November, occupied the distribution centre of the reservoir, blocking access.

"It's a war between the poor; we are aware of it," says Salvatore Giamblanco, 66, owner of a bed and breakfast in Troina. "But we had no other choice. The dam is drying up. We have difficulty finding water for ourselves. I had to cancel numerous reservations due to the lack of water. If we have to share what little we have with other towns, we will all be left dry."

Sicily is grappling with the most serious water crisis in its history. The island, the largest and most populous in the Mediterranean, where a European record high temperature of 48.8C was reached in 2021, is at risk of desertification.

Despite the recent autumn rains, and with Christmas approaching, thousands of families are still storing supplies of water containers in their homes for washing or cooking. In many provinces of the island, authorities have announced water rationing, while the capacity of reservoirs is almost halved (-48%) compared to last year. A third of the Sicilian basins used to supply water to homes are now completely or nearly dry.