Consorzi di bonifica e di irrigazione
In Italy there are 160 Drainage and Irrigation Consortia covering an area of 15.000.000 hectares (50% of the total surface of Italy). Inside their districts the Consortia give irrigation to 3.300.000 hectares. Approximately 8.000 people work in the Consortia.
The Consortia are public bodies, managed by Consortia members, which coordinate both public and private works devoted to drainage, irrigation, flood control, soil defence, protecting waters and environment. Having completed drainage and irrigation networks, Consortia now are mainly engaged in the maintenance and renovation of their works. Consortia are more and more involved in environmental activities and recent national laws provide that Consortia concur to the realization of actions for environmental safeguard and restoring of waters (also for irrigation uses) and for renaturalization and phytopurification of watercourses.
The members of Consortia are, compulsory, all the owners (farmers and non farmers) of lands and buildings situated in the Consortia districts. The districts are fixed referring to river basin and may cover both rural and urbanised areas.
The Consortia are controlled by the Regions, but Regions have to respect the main principles about Consortia issued by the State through national laws (as the general law about Consortia, issued in 1933).
Facts and figures
| Number of hectares under irrigation | 3 300 000 |
| Total stretch of irrigation and drainage canals | 181 312 km |
| Total stretch of dikes | 9 233 km |
| Amount of dams and weirs for full lamination | 22 839 |
| Amount of water pumping systems | 754 |
| Amount of water raising systems for irrigation | 1301 |
- Total Hectares under drainage: 7.000.000 (1.200.000 hectares are under mechanical pumping)
- Private contributions (by farmers and non farmers) to Italian Consortia in 2005: 466.000,00 euro.
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