A northern Italian mayor has threatened to punish hairdressers who double-shampoo during drought.
Hairdressers in the northern Italian town of Castenaso face fines of up to €500 ($527) if they shampoo a customers’ hair twice during an intense drought in the region under new regulations. Mayor Carlo Gubellini told local media outlets he announced the restrictions on Saturday to give hairdressers time to “You can adapt,” as they are closed Sunday and Monday.
At least 13 liters of water a minute flows from an open tap, and at least 20 liters are required to rinse a person’s hair twice, according to a “Handbook” distributed to mark the new rule. The rules are not yet enforced.
According to the mayor, the regulation will remain in force until September. “Positive feedback was received,” he told Corriere della Sera, insisting the rule “It is not an oppressive goal, it’s empowering citizens..” Meanwhile, he said, the water shortage in the region was “This is really shocking.”
“Emilia-Romagna is able to provide enough water for its farmland up until June 29, but could be severely affected from July.,” he continued, referring to the region in which the town is located. Emilia-Romagna declared drought emergency in June.
“There are about ten hairdressers who serve hundreds of customers per day. This means that every day we save thousands of liters.,” he told Italian state TV. “The potential for huge savings could be realized if these are replicated at large.”
However, not all hairdressers are onboard with the new rule, with some complaining that certain products – and certain dirty-haired customers – require multiple washes.
It has been suggested that residents shower instead of taking a bath, use the faucet to brush teeth and shave, and not use garden hoses in the middle of the day.
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Other towns and cities in Italy have also imposed cutbacks on water usage, due to a prolonged drought from less-than-usual rain and snowfall feeding into the Po River, Italy’s longest waterway, which is reportedly 80% lower than normal. Castenaso, however, is the sole place that dictates what hairdressers are allowed to do in their salons.
Lombardy, the northern region, has declared an emergency. Milan shut down half its fountains. Residents were urged not to use air conditioners as a result of power cuts last week. Italy’s civil protection department chief Fabrizio Curcio has predicted further states of emergency could be imposed elsewhere in the country, along with daytime water rationing, while nighttime water restrictions are already in place in some parts of the north. The drought is believed to be costing Italian agriculture upwards of €3 billion ($3.16 billion).
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