In five municipalities in the province of Avellino, Campania, mayors have ordered the temporary closure of all schools due to a severe drought. This region has been grappling with a water crisis for months, exacerbated by poor public pipe conditions and a recent lack of rainfall. This is not the first instance of school closures due to water shortages; similar measures were recently taken in several municipalities in Sicily, the Italian region most affected by this ongoing issue.
The municipalities affected are Flumeri, Gesualdo, Sturno, Taurasi, and Villamaina, with a combined population of over 11,000 residents. Mayors made this decision after experiencing hours without running water or only limited supplies. Vito Di Leo, the mayor of Sturno, reported that water springs have dried up due to insufficient rainfall, further worsening what he described as “the long-standing water drama” of Irpinia, the region where Avellino is located.
The ongoing drought has led to a gradual decrease in watercourses, resulting in municipal aqueducts pumping less water as availability dwindles. This situation is reflected in the water levels of various rivers in Irpinia, which have been declining in recent weeks. In the past months, numerous municipalities have periodically run out of running water, primarily attributed to ongoing failures in the local water supply network, especially the Castelfranci facility. A citizens’ committee, “Uniamoci per l’acqua,” has emerged, advocating for national and European investments to repair water networks and alleviate these persistent shortages. Cittadinanzattiva, a local nonprofit organization, has called for a state of emergency to streamline bureaucratic processes, enabling immediate interventions and funding to address the dire consequences of the drought, which include not only school closures but also restrictions on drinking water and drastic reductions in agricultural production and livestock farming.
