Sarno River: Activists and politicians demand urgent decontamination

Activists and regional politicians are intensifying calls for the decontamination of the Sarno River in Italy. During a sit-in titled ‘Piedi nell’acqua, mani sul futuro’ in Sarno, participants walked barefoot in the river to protest ongoing pollution and demand concrete remediation efforts.

Political figures, including Deputy Francesco Emilio Borrelli and Regional Councilor Carlo Ceparano, are calling for stricter controls and the mandatory mapping of all sewage discharges. They emphasize the need for full traceability of every pipe discharging into the river to distinguish between authorized systems and illegal, potentially toxic, waste from the tanning and food preservation sectors.

In a separate symbolic gesture, opposition leader Gennaro Sangiuliano and Sebastiano Odierna presented a water sample from the river to Campania Region President Roberto Fico. Despite political friction regarding the management of the ‘ecological bomb’ over the last two decades, the Regional Council reached a unanimous decision to approve a resolution aimed at accelerating the cleanup and securing the river basin.