Water Waste

Country: ITALY
Summary
This report covered the introduction of Italy and its water resources. The wastewater
treatment plants are also discussed. The water-related diseases WRDs from 1998 to 2005 are
debated. This study includes information on both large and small wastewater treatment
plants. It briefly mentioned the environmental hazards that occurred in Italy. Finally,
suggestions are given for improving the efficiency and environmental friendliness of
wastewater treatment plants.

Introduction
The boot-shaped Italian peninsula and several islands, notably Sicily and Sardinia, make up
Italy, which is located in Southern Europe. Austria and Switzerland on the north, San Marino,
the Holy See, France on the north-west and on the northeast by Slovenia are among the
nations that border the country. Italy is strategically located in the middle Mediterranean,
with Western Europe just over the Adriatic Sea. More than half of the coastline is coiffed and
rocky making it vulnerable to geomorphological instability caused by powerful sea storms
and southern winds.

Population and Agriculture

The country's population is 59.2 million people, with a density of about 200 people per
square kilometre; in recent years, international immigration has accounted for virtually all of
the country's increase, while the Italian population has shrunk. Men make up around 49% of
the population, while women make up about 51%. In Italy, 71.04% of the total population
lives in urban areas and the rest 28.96% lives in the rural area. These figures are reflected by
the World Bank collection of development indicators.

The total land area covered by Italy is 301230 square kilometres (sq. km). Vegetables, grains,
olives, fodder, crops, wine, fruit, and horticultural plants are the principal products of Italian
agriculture (Cook, 2019). Agriculture uses the most freshwater. Between 2000 and 2012,
irrigation accounted for the majority of water extracted in Italy. (During this period, the
average was 50%). Although the intensity of water use in agriculture decreased between 2000
and 2010, overall water consumption for irrigation decreased by 20%, total irrigated lands
decreased by 8%, and agricultural productivity remained constant (the OECD average is 4.5
per cent (OECD, 2013).

Water Resources

Water is available to 100% of the urban population and 97% of the rural population in Italy.
Bathing water requirements are not met by 20% of the bathing water. Sanitation is available
to 70% of the population. Water scarcity is becoming a social and economic problem in
Apulia, Basilicata, Sicily, and Sardinia, owing to rising water demand and poor management.
Further declines in average precipitation might exacerbate the problem. In this century, water
stress may climb by 25% (WHO, 2007). Water resources in southern Europe are expected to
suffer as a result of climate change, with continuous losses in quantity, quality, and
availability, as well as a rise in the frequency and intensity of droughts, especially in the
summer. Droughts in river flow may become more often and severe in the future, with annual
river flow drops and likely summer water flow reductions of up to 80%. In addition,
groundwater recharge is declining, resulting in a decrease in fresh groundwater supplies,
particularly in coastal areas.

Over 300 billion m3/year of meteoric influx occurs in Italy (data of Regione Emilia
Romagna). Northern areas, which account for just over 40% of these precipitations, are
followed by central regions, which account for 22%, southern regions, which account for
24%, and the two largest islands, Sicily and Sardinia, which account for only 12%. However,
available water resources are estimated to be only 58 billion m3/year, with surface resources
(springs, rivers, and lakes) providing 72 percent and subsurface sources providing 28 percent
(water tables close to the surface). Northern Italy has almost 53% of the surface resources
that can be used, followed by central Italy (19%), southern Italy (21%), and the two largest
islands (7%) (Environment, 2007).

Furthermore, the main flood plains of northern Italy contain around 70% of subsurface
resources. Southern Italy's subsurface resources are limited to a few coastal plains and a few
core areas. These results demonstrate the distribution discrepancy between the north and
south of the nation, as well as the downward trend caused by the simultaneous decline in
precipitation and increase in evapotranspiration and water usage.

In many parts of Italy, particularly in the south, meeting water demand is getting more
challenging. As a result of the present drought and the continued growth in water demand for
the civic sector, irrigation supply has become increasingly difficult. Reusing wastewater as a
source of water might be a viable method for fulfilling demand. Many wastewater reuse
projects are now in the works (Barbagallo et al., 2001).

Water-related Diseases Outbreaks

In 2008 Monica Francesca Blasi, disused the water-related diseases that occurred in Italy
from 1998 to 2005 time period (Blasi et al., 2008). According to the statics, about 24 water-
related diseases occurred per year and in total WDR outbreaks within this period were 192. A
total of 2546 WRD cases were reported, with an annual average of 318 instances and a range
of 1008 in 2002 to 92 in 2005. The majority of WRD cases were linked to shellfish eating
(58.8%), drinking water (39.9%), and agricultural products (just a small portion) (1.3
percent). Figure 1 given below has shown the WDR outbreaks that occurred from 1998 to
2005.

Figure 1: 1998 to 2005 WDR Outbreaks in Italy

And figure 2 showed the graphical representation of the WDR spread percentage over these
years from the consumption of shellfish, drinking water and agricultural products.
 Figure 2: WDR

WRDs have been reported from 16 different locations, with the following distribution: 460
(16.2%) from Mid-Italy, 557 (19.2%) from the South, which includes Sardinia and Sicily and
1829 cases (64.3%) from North Italy. During the research period, certain areas (Umbria,
Molise, Basilicata, and Valle D'Aosta) failed to inform WRDs.

Three areas (Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Veneto) and the Trento Provincia Autonoma notified
46.3 percent of the total WRD cases, accounting for 24 percent of the national population.

36 outbreaks and 1017 WRD cases were reported over the research period, with an average of
127 cases each year. These instances accounted for around 5.3 percent of all NSS Class IV
cases worldwide. Enteric viruses (10.3%), Salmonella (6.2%), Norwalk virus (4.0%),
hepatitis A (2.8%), Legionella (1.6%), Shigella sonnei (0.6%), Staphylococcus aureus (0.3%),
and Giardia with contaminated water were the etiological agents identified in only 29% of the
reported cases (90.6 percent). Most of the notifications came from Puglia, Campania, and
Emilia Romagna, Listeria was identified as the etiological agent in one exceptional WRD in
S. Severo (FG) (6 reported cases).

This study is the first in Italy to look into WRDs in-depth, and the findings reveal that certain
potentially dangerous scenarios do arise. These findings, combined with the shortcomings of
the current Italian communicable disease surveillance system, highlight the need for a new,
updated WRD surveillance system that takes into account the European relevant framework,
other countries' experiences, and guidelines developed in the context of the WHO Protocol on
Water and Health.

The findings of this study highlight the need of various water users in developing an adequate
National Surveillance System on WRDs to establish targeted action plans, particularly for
preventative reasons.

Environmental Hazards

In Italy, landslides are the most prevalent sort of natural catastrophe. In terms of the number
of casualties and the amount of damage they produce, they are only second to earthquakes.
Every year, 995 484 people are at risk of being buried by landslides across an area of 21 182
km2 (7 percent of the national territory). There were 112 significant landslides documented in
2013. Every year, it is projected that 6 153 860 individuals in Italy are affected by floods.
Between 1951 and 2013, floods in Italy claimed the lives of 1,557 people.

Marine coastal zones remain one of the most fragile and endangered natural ecosystems in
Italy and the Mediterranean. Microbiological contamination is the major source of pollution
that can make water unsafe for swimming. Italy had a total of 5509 bathing water during the
2012 bathing season, including 629 inland water and 4880 marine and transitional waters.
The findings of the 2012 bathing season's monitoring reveal that 85 percent of these waters

met the Directive 76/160/EEC's guideline value.

Waste Water Treatment Plants

In Italy, there are a total of 17,897 plants in use. Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and
Veneto, in that order, have the greatest number of plants. Imhoff tanks make up 46.8% of
overall plants, 44.2 percent of secondary and advanced plants, and 9% of primary plants. In
Lombardy and Veneto, advanced plants may be found. Although, in comparison to the rest of
the country, the south and islands have a greater prevalence of contemporary medicines.
Advanced plants, on the other hand, handle more than half of polluted loads (66.7 percent),
yet they are not the majority.

There is still a gap when predicting potential waste based on urban total equivalent people
and comparing it to what is cleansed. There are approximately 98 million comparable
residents who require sewage services, compared to 75 million who are now provided. To the
extent of 59.6 percent of their potential, civilian-type polluted loads are treated as at least
secondary. In the northwest, the proportion is 64.6 percent, but in other parts of Italy, the
percentages are lower, with regional variances.

Large plants, mostly in the North West, purify 61.4 percent of the cleansed load in terms of
comparable residents and are mostly tertiary/advanced. Surface water discharges occur at sea
(16.7 percent) (80.3 percent).

The precise statistics of the coastal municipalities is very fascinating. The quality of bathing
water is good in 91.9 percent of the municipalities tested, however 42 municipalities,
virtually all in the South, lack public sewage treatment plants.

In Italy, sanitation and water supply are provided to the people at low prices. A good water
supply service at such low prices is only provided in Italy in entire Europe. For example, the
average water services bill in Italy is 20 Euro which in comparison to France is lower. In
France, the water supply services cost about 31 euros. The prices in Italy of water supply
have been underpriced for a long time. Per capita, water usage for residential use in Italy is
roughly 240 litres per day, which is greater than in Spain or France, where it is about 160
litres per day. Italy's water resources are unevenly distributed, with more plentiful resources
in the north and scarcer ones in the south. The majority of water withdrawals are for
agriculture and industry, with only 18% being for drinking water supply. Due to leaks,
malfunctioning water metres, and water theft, around a third of the water extracted for
municipal supply is not paid to customers.

Biella has a large industrial presence, particularly in the textile industry. Cordar S.p.A. Biella
Servizi needed modern water treatment solutions since it had over 400 textile firms, a
population of over 190,000 people, and an underperforming integrated water service

infrastructure. Biella worked with Cordar for over 15 years, helping them design and build
three wastewater treatment plants that serve 50 communities. Biella, Cossato, and Massazza
wastewater treatment plants, as well as associated collecting networks, have a total
population equivalent capacity of 710,000 people, with a total pipeline length of 130
kilometres. The project began in the early 1980s, but the inhabitants of Biella now enjoy a
stronger, more dependable wastewater system thanks to our contributions and nearly three
decades of continuous development.
Milano San Rocco Italy, the simplicity of the treatment method is the plant's strongest asset.
The activated sludge technique employed is a tried-and-true process that has already been
used in several sites. A biological treatment stage is added to this specific application to
further improve it (step feed and alternating zones processes). This technology not only meets
existing laws but also anticipates future legislative changes, resulting in treated water that not
only meets but surpasses them. In the dry season, disinfection with UV radiation, the final
stage in the treatment chain, provides water suitable for agricultural irrigation at a rate of
14,400 m3/h, contributing significantly to water resource conservation.

Figure 3: Milano San Rocco Italy

According to the UWWTD, Italy is required to provide in urban areas:

 Wastewater collection at a rate of 78.0 million p.e.

 74.7 million p.e. of wastewater was biologically treated.
 Treatment of 35.3 million p.e. of wastewater using biological nitrogen and/or
phosphorus removal
Italy must use biological nitrogen and phosphorus treatment to remove at least 75% of
nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater generated in certain sections of the country.
Individual systems (e.g., residential treatment plants; septic tanks) are used instead of
centralised collection and treatment facilities for 3.0 million people per square kilometre of
urban wastewater in Italy. The law permits these choices as long as the environment is
appropriately safeguarded.
Furthermore, because this is wastewater released into coastal regions from smaller
metropolitan areas, Italy does not need to utilise biological treatment for 0.29 million p.e. of
urban wastewater (below 10 000 p.e.).
Because this type of treatment is only required for larger urban areas (over 10,000 p.e.)
discharging into sensitive areas, the amount of urban wastewater that requires biological
treatment with nitrogen and/or phosphorus removal (35.3 million p.e.) is lower than the
collected urban wastewater (78.0 million p.e.).
Recommendations
According to the conclusions of a survey conducted in 2017(Papa et al., 2017), more than
60% of Italian plants do not execute any type of recovery operation. This was especially true
for smaller facilities, which were shown to be much less involved in resource recovery than
their bigger counterparts (material and even energy recovery is more efficient when applied
to huge volumes of wastewater and/or sewage sludge). The recovery of material from excess
sludge for agricultural uses, the internal reuse of treated water effluent for WWTP
maintenance, and, in the case of large plants, the generation of electricity from biogas created

from anaerobically digested sludge were the most regularly adopted measures.

In Italy, it is recommended to employ advanced wastewater treatment plants. The advantage

of using the updated technology-based WWTPs is very significant in terms of less energy
utilization for the operation of the plant. The efficiency of these plants is very high and it also
takes less input power which ultimately concluded less GHG emission.

Finally, while assessing the long-term viability of WWTPs, energy usage and GHG emissions
are important aspects to examine. Reduced direct discharges of untreated wastewater and
mitigation of GHG emissions from the water sector are two major issues that should be
addressed by sustainable wastewater management. The cost of operating and maintaining a
WWTP may be decreased by ensuring that wastewater treatment stages are designed and
operated efficiently, as well as by generating power and heat on-site. Annual energy usage
and GHG emissions should be systematically lowered to reach the goal of greater
sustainability of the investigated WWTPs.

One of the big issues of our day is the climate crisis. To realise the energy transition, it is
critical to make optimal use of and activate all locally accessible renewable energy sources.
Wastewater as a renewable source of (thermal) energy might be an important part of a future

climate-friendly energy mix, not only in the EU but globally.

The next recommendation is the installation of solar system to run the small WWTPs in Italy.
This approach can be implemented for the whole plant or run some of the equipment with
solar energy. The results will show that the addition of a renewable energy source for running
the WWTP will cut off the operational cost and also make it eco-friendly. The cost of
installation of a solar system for wastewater treatment plants varies due to the capacity of the
plant and also the location plays a vital role.
Reference

BARBAGALLO, S., CIRELLI, G. & INDELICATO, S. 2001. Wastewater reuse in Italy. Water Science and
Technology, 43, 43-50.
BLASI, M. F., CARERE, M., POMPA, M. G., RIZZUTO, E. & FUNARI, E. 2008. Water-related diseases
outbreaks reported in Italy. Journal of water and health, 6, 423-432.
COOK, E. 2019. Agriculture, forestry and fishery statistics: 2019 edition, Publications Office of the
European Union.
ENVIRONMENT, M. F. T. 2007. Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea of Italy.
OECD 2013. OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Italy 2013, OECD Publishing, Paris.
PAPA, M., FOLADORI, P., GUGLIELMI, L. & BERTANZA, G. 2017. How far are we from closing the loop
of sewage resource recovery? A real picture of municipal wastewater treatment plants in
Italy. Journal of Environmental Management, 198, 9-15.
WHO 2007.