A farmer in Caserta illegally diverting water from a UNESCO World Heritage aqueduct and causing serious damage to the Royal Palace of Caserta’s water supply has been arrested.
Carabinieri arrested the 58-year-old man and placed him under house arrest. He faces charges including aggravated theft of public water, damage to cultural heritage, trespass on State land, and illegal waste management.
Officers from the Caserta station and the local forestry unit led the investigation, coordinated by the Santa Maria Capua Vetere prosecutor’s office.
They began inquiries after detecting an abnormal water shortage in the palace’s historic fountains and pools. These are normally fed by the Carolino Aqueduct, built in the 18th century to supply the palace and its gardens.
Carabinieri traced the issue to land bordering the Bosco di San Silvestro, another protected area near the palace. Though the land belongs to the Diocesan Institute for the Support of the Clergy of Caserta, the suspect had a lease to farm it.
Investigators discovered the man had damaged a Bourbon-era basin of the aqueduct to install an illegal connection. Using polyethylene piping, he was diverting water nearly 150 metres to irrigate six areas of farmland and a one-ton cistern.
The illegal system involved drilling through the aqueduct’s perimeter wall. Officers also found agricultural waste from other fields dumped on the site.
Police have seized the land, irrigation system, and the materials used for the unauthorised connection.
Authorities warned the continued siphoning posed a threat to the ecosystem and biodiversity of the palace gardens. This is especially the case during the summer when water shortages are most severe.
