Aretusacque water service management dispute

Disputes have emerged regarding the management of water services by Aretusacque in Syracuse, Italy. National deputy Luca Cannata has called for an anti-corruption probe, requesting that all documents related to the company be submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Authority. Cannata seeks to clarify the company’s legal status and ensure it is subject to public oversight, arguing that a company managing essential municipal services must not evade transparency requirements. Following these calls for oversight, tensions have escalated between Aretusacque leadership and the Forum per l’Acqua Pubblica. A meeting between the two parties failed to resolve disagreements over service disruptions and compensation. The Forum proposed compensating users with amounts equivalent to required security deposits, but the company’s supervisory committee rejected the plan. The Forum also expressed strong opposition to potential tariff increases, citing low per capita income in the province and high costs relative to the rest of Sicily. Political friction has intensified as Syracuse Mayor Francesco Italia countered Cannata’s allegations by criticizing the deputy’s previous administration in Avola. Italia noted that approximately 13,000 users in Avola still lack water meters, resulting in flat-rate billing, and highlighted that several local projects worth over 4 million euros were excluded from regional funding due to documentation issues. Concerns remain regarding the potential loss of 6 million euros in regional funding intended for new water supply pipelines. The conflict has further escalated with Luca Cannata, a deputy for Fratelli d’Italia, accusing Mayor Italia, who also serves as president of the Territorial Water Assembly (ATI), of mismanagement, lack of transparency, and failing to address service disruptions. This political instability coincides with a scheduled discussion in mid-November regarding a motion of no confidence against Mayor Italia.