Around a third of Italy’s seas and lakes are above the legal limit for pollution, environmental group Legambiente said in a report published Tuesday. Water pollution is affected by weather conditions, as well as human actions.
Out of 394 sea water samples taken between June, July and early August in 19 regions , 36% were over the limit, it said. The most critical areas are river mouths, said the group after its Goletta Verde (Green Schooner) campaign of testing.
Of the river mouths analysed, 44% were found to be heavily polluted, 16% polluted and only 40% within the limit. With regard to lake basins, 39 lakes in 11 regions were monitored. Out of 129 samplings carried out, 33% were found to be above legal limits, a 10% increase in critical points compared to last year’s 23%.
Goletta Verde and Goletta dei Laghi findings
Goletta Verde and Goletta dei Laghi were born to monitor, inform and raise awareness, defending common goods and improving the liveability of the territory.
The 2024 summer campaigns by Goletta Verde and Goletta dei Laghi, organised by Legambiente, revealed concerning levels of pollution in Italy’s seas and lakes. Key findings include:
Water Pollution Levels: Out of 394 points sampled across 19 regions, 36% exceeded legal pollution limits, with 101 sites rated “Heavily polluted” and 39 “Polluted.” The Mediterranean Sea showed one polluted site every 76 km, with the percentage of sites over the limit rising from 31% in 2022 to 37% in 2024.
Critical Areas: River mouths, canals, and waterways flowing into the sea or lakes were particularly problematic, with 59% of these sites rated “over the limit.” Meanwhile, samples from lake and marine waters showed better results, with only 14% receiving negative ratings.
Climate Crisis Impact: The report highlighted the effects of the accelerating climate crisis, including droughts, extreme weather events, and the tropicalisation of the Mediterranean, which stress purification systems and exacerbate pollution.
National Plan Proposal: Legambiente proposed a national plan to protect seas and lakes, focusing on upgrading purification systems, implementing climate adaptation plans, expanding protected areas, and investing in renewable energy, particularly offshore wind power. The potential of offshore wind energy has been undervalued, with bureaucratic delays and insufficient targets set for 2030. The campaign also addressed the resistance to renewable projects and the importance of better regulation.
Weather conditions affect pollution levels
“The results of Goletta Verde and the Lakes”, adds Andrea Minutolo, scientific director of Legambiente, “are often also affected by the different weather conditions experienced in the summer months of the last two years, in which we went from a condition of drought prevailing throughout the central-northern territory of the peninsula, with dry rivers and dried up canals, to a summer like the current one which was instead characterised by frequent and abundant rains that may have caused the purification plants to suffer.
“Evidence that was seen above all during the Goletta dei Laghi where, compared to 2023, this year the overall percentage of points above the legal limit increased, going from 23% last year to 33% in 2024”.
Italy has experienced severe air and water pollution this year.
