Last night, among other measures, the Council of Ministers approved a decree-law on the Phlegraean Fields, an area located in the Gulf of Pozzuoli, west of the city of Naples and its gulf, where bradyseism phenomena, or a periodic lowering or raising of the ground level that raises fears of a possible volcanic eruption, have been ongoing for days. "The spending commitment to cover the measure is 52.2 million euros, all financial resources provided by the state, by the government," said Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci. "We asked the Campania Region, but it decided not to participate; it felt it should not, but we hope in the coming weeks it will change its mind. In any case, we are moving forward and intend to do so in collaboration with local authorities and the Prefecture". "It has been proposed to keep the alert status at the yellow level, even though we all know that the phenomenon may be evolving, as it may be attenuating," he explained, "No one can add any other considerations: prudence is needed at this time, there is no need to panic, and we should also not create easy alarmism. The government has intervened promptly; these are preventive measures that will not end the seismic swarm or the bradyseism phenomenon, but they will finally allow for a better understanding of a phenomenon that is centuries old, and to be able to coordinate with local institutions the plan for every eventuality". "The government's goal is to continue to work better and better for emergencies, but at the same time to move on to serious prevention," he added, "It is convenient to intervene wherever possible to prevent the emergency from taking on different contours and proportions". The Phlegraean Fields is a vast area known since antiquity for its vibrant volcanic activity, being it an ancient supervolcano.
|