Spillage of oily substances in the Navigli: containment operations in progress

A large oily slick, indicated in various reports as diesel or used oil, spread for approximately 28 kilometers along the Navigli system. The spill was detected yesterday afternoon during scheduled sewer maintenance works in Magenta, in the Milan area. From that moment on, operations began to limit its spread towards Milan.

The fire brigade teams of the Via Messina Command are engaged in operations to contain the oily substance. The work also continued during the night and continues throughout the day, in coordination with Civil Protection, the Municipality of Milan and the Metropolitan City. The goal is to slow down the propagation and recover as much material as possible.

To try to interrupt the path of the blob, seven containment barriers were used. Panne, orange rolls of absorbent material intended to intervene on the substance present on the surface, were also installed at the Canottieri Milano level. Deeper barriers were also used to intercept the algae that had absorbed the oily matter.

The interventions were not concentrated in just one point. Absorbent pads were placed in Robecco, Gaggiano and subsequently in Milan, in via Ludovico il Moro. The operations are conducted along the path of the slick to try to slow down its advance and prevent it from spreading further into the waters of the Navigli system.

The rescuers' strategy involves pushing the blob towards a point where it can be compacted and collected. The location identified is in via Conchetta, at the intersection with the Naviglio Pavese towpath and via Darwin, where a lock can allow the substance to be blocked and dried up as much as possible.

Although the barriers slowed down the spread, a part of the oily substance, described as minimal compared to the overall quantity spilled, reached the dock. In the Navigli area, one of the most characteristic and tourist areas of Milan, a smell more attributable to used oil than petrol was also reported.

The presence of the substance in the Darsena made it necessary to continue containment and cleaning activities also in the heart of the Navigli area. The Est Ticino Villoresi Consortium is intervening with absorbent cloths, while the various structures involved in the emergency continue to work to limit the effects of the spill.

To prevent the substance from reaching the water used for irrigation, the Est Ticino Villoresi Consortium has closed the mouths that feed the irrigation canals. The measure serves to prevent possible contamination of the rice crops and naturalistic areas of the South Milan Agricultural Park.

The Consortium is monitoring the Naviglio Grande, the Naviglio di Bereguardo and the Naviglio Pavese, while the interventions continue in Gaggiano and Darsena. Region, Municipality, Metropolitan City, Civil Protection, Villoresi Consortium and firefighters work in coordination to contain the spread of the substance.

Drainage and containment operations will continue throughout the day. In Milan the work is also concentrated on the via Conchetta lock, while upstream the problem of the spill that occurred in the Magentino area remains. The monitoring along the Navigli system will continue until the critical situation is completely overcome.