Around the river

English version

Around the river

Photography by Massimo Capocci

Story edited by Andrea Mancuso

A journey through the valley, along the banks of the Sacco River, takes a look into the socio-economic-environmental crisis that has overtaken the surrounding area for decades, known as the poison land

Between the provinces of Rome and Frosinone, uncontrolled industrial development and the lack of environmental policies have generated over the years an overburden of pollutants that, contaminating the Sacco River and the nearby lands, created problems throughout the food chain.

This situation also affects an area subject to high levels of air pollution caused by various incinerators and chemical industries since the beginning of the last century. Along the 80 km of the river there are hundreds of farmed land, several pollutants found, including Beta-HCH (Beta-esaclorocyclohexane), a byproduct of Lindano, insecticide considered carcinogenic and produced in the past by local industries.

This substance found in milk produced by the farms caused in 2005 the abatement of about 6,000 livestock and its presence was also found in the blood of the inhabitants. In the Valley, in 2016, it has been re-metered into one of the largest and most complex National Interest Sites in Italy, reclamation works are still in the high seas, river water is unusable, few active farms go on making huge sacrifices, People continue to get sick.

In the state of isolation and the sense of abandonment felt by the inhabitants, it overlaps the spirit of sacrifice and the strong bond established with their own land for years contending between industry and agriculture.