'33% desert': Sicily battles its worst drought ever

Sicily is battling its worst drought on record - and climate experts say a third of the Italian island could become desert by 2030.

‌Every month this year has set a new heat record for Sicily and at the same time there's been 40 percent less rainfall.

Christian Mulder, a professor of ecology and climate change at Catania University, told CGTN that 87 percent of water in the entire region of Sicily has already been lost.

"At least one third of Sicily, the western part, will really look like Tunisia," he said. "It's becoming a desert."

The effect on farmers is devastating. For two decades, Luca Cammarata has bred hundreds of Girgentana goats, an endangered species from the island's south known for their distinctive horns and high-quality milk. But he says his future, and that of his beloved goats, is uncertain.

‌"If we don't deal with this emergency, our zootechnical and genetic heritage will all be slaughtered, and the Sicilian territory will lose a lot," he told CGTN.

‌Dams are critically low and Sicily's last source of natural water, Lake Pergusa, has also dried up.

‌The crisis is affecting tourism. Due to severe water restrictions in the city of Agrigento, some B&Bs and hotels can't guarantee some essential services.

Resident Simone Di Nicola says a trip to the local well is now a daily necessity.

‌"There are areas in the city where water hasn't arrived for 10-15 days," he said. "Unfortunately, it's like this this year." ‌

Roberto Sciarratta, the director of the city's famous Valley of the Temples archeological park, is glad the site has its own water supply.

‌"We don't have any interruptions during the day, but we also have reservoirs and reserves if there is a necessity to supply the public services here at the Valley of the Temples," he explained.

The president of the local water authority AICA, Settimio Cantone, admits it's a difficult situation but says the blame game isn't a solution.

‌"Residents have a right to be angry, but AICA can't pay the cost of 30 years of inefficiency," he said. "We have a water network from the 1990s that, due to leaks, loses 58 percent."

‌It's a sentiment shared by Mulder.

‌"It has not only to do with the climate but also with a very severe mismanagement of the water resources," he said.

‌In May, the Italian government announced a state of emergency and allocated almost $22 million to buy water tankers, dig new wells and fix leaky aqueducts.

‌Massimo Primavera is the president of the local Farmers Association and says there needs to be more cooperation between the regional and national governments.

‌"We need to invest in resources," Primavera said. "If there are EU Recovery Funds, we need to reconstruct the water and irrigation networks. They are things that I believe we can do but we need to sit down at the table and plan for the future."

Another solution on the table is revamping or rebuilding the island's old desalination plants, which could take months.

Back on the goat farm, Luca Cammarata says it's a battle on several fronts, but he's willing to keep up the fight to keep his farm and animals: "We will try to resist, we have to give it everything we've got."

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