2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

ITALY PART 2: COUNTRY ANALYSIS
and 80% by 1995. The proportion of domestic sewage subject to treatment was 14% in 1971, rising
to 30% in 1980, 45% in 1987 and 62% by 1995. According to Veolia Environnement (VE) in 1995,
some 35% of sewage treatment works were working below par or were in fact not in operation.
Sewage treatment development
Year 1995 1999
Tertiary 5% 24%
Secondary 34% 36%
Primary 17% 3%
% of population connected to
wastewater treatment plants, 1999
Rome 78%
Milan 0%
Naples 38%
Turin 96%
Palermo 19%
Genoa 56%
Bologna 99%
Florence 12%
Brescia 80%
Modena 85%
Parma 69%
1998-08 spending is forecast at €31-51 billion, although the Public Works Ministry's slower
programme is for €41-51 billion for 15-20 years.
A survey by Itstat in 2004 found that 1,165 of Italy’s 7,988 Comuni still have no sewage treatment
works, with 112 of these lacking a sewerage system. Only one of the six cities with a population over
0.5 million has an effective sewage treatment while nearly half of Comuni with a population of 10-
80,000 have inadequate sewage treatment or sewerage.
Regional water scarcity
Approximately 25% of the overall population has inadequate water resources. While in the North of
Italy, 8.5% of the population does not have sufficient amounts of water, this rises to 18% in Central
Italy, 55% on the islands, and 78% in the South. These areas are considered to be under the threat
of supply disruptions in drought years. Therefore, the Italian Parliament is currently examining a law
proposing the reorganisation of the National Water Network with special emphasis on supplying the
Southern parts of Italy. In total, 9.161 million people are in areas of regular water stress. In 1995,
55% of people in Sardinia faced occasional water shortages.
Urban Services
% Water 98%
L per cap per day 300
% Sewerage 90%
% Sewage treated 85%
Structure of the water market
Water supply in Italy is managed by a total of 8,075 municipal administrations, which work either
individually or in association with other municipalities. Exceptions are three public utilities (Apulian,
Sicilian and Sardinian), which operate large facilities for the abstraction and distribution of water.
According to the figures of the association of Italian public water and gas utilities, 55% of the water is
supplied by 184 municipal or co-operative waterworks and the remaining 45% is in the hands of 5,896
different public bodies.
122 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005 – 2006