In Sicily's karstic caves drought is re-writing the island's history
As Sicily faces one of the worst droughts of the past decades, the University of Catania is organising a series of events as part of EU Green Week 2024. Scientists are taking us on a journey back in time to better understand the impact of climate change on the island.
Transcript
00:00You can't see the drop falling. These are already practically dry.
00:05Wow!
00:08In Sicily, underground water reserves reach critical levels.
00:12Direction Catan, in this episode of Water Matters,
00:15where researchers are on a mission for water resilience.
00:23To understand where the water that Sicilians consume comes from,
00:26we approach these karst rocks, accompanied by geologist Sandro Privitera.
00:31In these caves, the freshness and humidity contrast with the aridity of the surface.
00:36But the scientists are worried.
00:38Here you can see the effect of dehydration due to the lack of water.
00:43This should be all crystalline, with beautiful shiny crystals.
00:47Normally it should shine, it should shine like this.
00:50This limestone rock is a kind of water tank.
00:54But it works as a water tank when it rains.
00:57The situation is serious because it has been raining for several years.
01:06A little further away, a source of water spills from the rock.
01:09This stream is full of life, but for how long?
01:13Water is gold, of course, and not only for Sicily, but for all of humanity.
01:16So it is important to preserve it and, above all, not to drain the water.
01:20The University of Catania is trying to bring life back to the ground by planting trees
01:25to improve their ability to store rainwater, which will then join the karst caves.
01:34The university community is also looking for other solutions.
01:37Let's go to Catania to meet it.
01:39The University of Catania is a partner of the European Green Week.
01:42It organizes a series of events throughout the summer.
01:44The central theme this year is water resilience.
01:48During the summer, activities take place in the university's museum.
01:51Field trips are organized to highlight the importance of action.
01:56There is an emergency in the plain of Catania, the main agricultural extension of Sicily.
02:00This scientist is fighting for the reuse of used water for irrigation purposes.
02:06You have to think that already in Catania we could immediately have about 500 liters of water
02:11that, if properly purified, could be used for irrigation purposes.
02:15Other researchers study the resistance of local vegetables to water stress.
02:19They prioritize the organic and the short-circuit.
02:23Here we mitigate the impact of water stress for selection of the most water-stress-resistant accessions.
02:32The gap between farm and research could be less in order just to explain for them in a simple way
02:41what we do here and how they can benefit from it.
02:48This local melon only needs very little water and it is better than others.
02:52See you soon in Water Matters.