The prison of Bancali, in Sassari, is said to have been without water since the afternoon of Monday 9 November, after brown, foul-smelling water reportedly came out of the taps in the morning. The situation was reported by Roberto Melis, national secretary of the prison police union Consipe, who called for urgent action and the provision of drinking water.
According to Melis, the problem reportedly affected all detention wings, the officers’ barracks and the canteen. The union representative said the water supply was completely cut off in the afternoon. The report places the outage amid reports of cloudy or foul-smelling water recorded in the city in the preceding days.
Melis said that the tanks were being drained and that, according to the forecasts communicated at the time, the interruption could continue overnight and into the morning of Tuesday 10 November. The report concerns both inmates and staff, who, according to the union, would have had to continue providing services as usual without being able to rely on adequate hygienic conditions.
The difficulties cited include using the toilets, being able to wash, and eating meals in suitable conditions. The secretary added that the disruption would also affect officers staying in the barracks and in state-owned accommodation, because they were without water even outside working hours.
According to information provided to Consipe, inmates and officers on duty were reportedly given a maximum of 1.5 litres of water each. Melis called the situation “unacceptable” and called on the prison management and the relevant authorities to take action, ensure adequate supplies of drinking water and provide information on when the supply would be restored.
The report is separate from the scheduled suspensions announced for 4 November in some areas of the city, including Bancali: the earlier scheduled water shutoff was related to work on the network and is not cited as the cause of the interruption reported at the prison five days later.