Lower Sarca Entrepreneurs Offer Solutions to Lake Bird Pollution in Riva

“I’ll take care of it” said a famous character in one of the most well-known cartoons of the sixties, but, in essence, this is also what Coordinamento degli imprenditori del basso Sarca (Coordination of Entrepreneurs of Lower Sarca) is conveying to the municipality of Riva, offering to solve the problems caused by the excessive number of birds present in the lake waters. Hundreds of swans, ducks, and geese have been identified in recent days as the main culprits of water pollution observed by health authorities.

The situation and entrepreneurs’ proposals

“The situation has become unsustainable,” explains Franco Gamba, president of the Unione Commercio Turismo (Commerce and Tourism Union) and of coordinamento imprenditori (Entrepreneurs’ Coordination), “and immediate action is needed before it’s too late. The water near the beaches of Riva and Torbole is in terrible condition: feathers, droppings, and unappealing signs of bird presence.”

We ask the administration, which has effectively moved to prevent water balloons from being thrown on the beach, to do the same against those who feed the birds. Hefty fines for those, despite being prohibited for years now, who persist in feeding the birds. A provocative idea: should throwing water balloons result in an 800,000 lire fine? Let’s impose a 1.6 million lire penalty on anyone distributing bread to the ducks.

“Let’s be clear,” continues Gamba, “I love animals and enjoy observing them, but the situation is extremely serious both aesthetically and, more importantly, hygienically. People swimming in the water, in addition to contending with ducks and swans swimming just centimeters from their heads, risk coming out completely filthy.”

Proposed solutions and final considerations

Protecting tourists’ health is essential, but above all, safeguarding the health of Rivani residents who regularly visit the beaches. For this reason, we are willing to undertake the lake cleaning at our own expense, entrusting the task to specialized companies.

There are two options: capture the birds and relocate them to more suitable areas or proceed with the culling of some of them. I know the latter option won’t please everyone, and I personally would prefer to avoid it, but the situation is such that we cannot delay any longer.

There is no criticism or polemics against the municipality, of course, merely an offer of cooperation: within 48 hours, we are confident we can solve the problem. After all,” concludes Gamba, “it is pointless to spend hundreds of millions on tourism promotion and then fail to resolve such a problem. A problem that undoubtedly tarnishes the area’s image.”