Southern Italy (the Mezzogiorno), an integral part of the Mediterranean basin, today stands at the crossroads of historical water scarcity, growing climatic pressure, and infrastructural fragility. The Mediterranean is a climate-change hotspot, and southern Italy—besides experiencing reduced runoff and longer drought periods—is also seeing an increase in short-duration, high-intensity rainfall events. Compounding this natural vulnerability are the ageing of major storage works, siltation processes, and the high rate of losses in distribution networks. The response cannot be merely reactive: it requires the structural renewal of existing infrastructure, continuous monitoring, infrastructure digitalization, the integration of satellite data and in-situ measurements, quality control, and models capable of anticipating future scenarios. From this perspective, the contribution offers a unified analysis of the Mezzogiorno as an interconnected Mediterranean water system and discusses the shift from management based solely on water availability to management aimed at building more resilient territories and cities, grounded in smart networks, reservoir rehabilitation, predictive maintenance, and water-sensitive approaches.
Citation: Manfreda, S. (2026). Risorse idriche, infrastrutture e resilienza nel Mezzogiorno. In: Colloqui Interculturali Mediterranei 2026 (COMEN), Conference proceedings, Fondazione Mediterranea.