RIVERS IN SPRING 16th Ed.
WORLD WATER DAY 2016 IN MANTOVA, ITALY
in collaboration with
institutional partners
Oglio Sud Park
present
RIVERS IN SPRING 16th Ed.
THE WORLD WATER DAY IN MANTOVA, ITALY
March 22, 2016
from 9:00 a.m. to 15 p.m.
Mantova Center, Lungolago Gonzaga and Lungolago Mincio
On March 22, 2016, about 3.000 children, students, teachers and citizens took part in the great event - Rivers in Spring - in Mantova, Northern Italy, to celebrate the World Water Day 2016 for the 16th time: people gathered on Mantova Lakes (Mincio River), to carry on scientific, naturalistic and artistic activities, or make foot, boat excursions, all action in the environment to sensitize people to take action to defend it.
In about 61 workstations 72 activities were carried out by children of Elementary Schools, students from Junior and Senior High Schools, scientists of Italian National Research Council-IREA in Milan, experts of Inter-regional Agency for the River Po (AIPO), and Mincio Territories Consortium Remediation (Consorzio di Bonifica Territori del Mincio) , volunteers of various groups of Civil Protection, volunteers of the Mincio Park and the Oglio Sud Park, experts in the management of hydroelectric power stations, volunteers of ethnographic museums, the youth group of the Italian Alpine Club Mantova Section (CAI), the Mantova Diving Club, the Fishing Sport Italian Federation, etc.
3 GLOBE Senior High Schools took part in the event: IISS della Bassa Friulana (Globe school leader at national level) in Cervignano del Friuli (Udine), IS Fermi and IS Strozzi in Mantova.
Students from Friuli Region (IISS Bassa Friulana) presented the Globe Field Measurement Campaigns and run workshops on Mantova Lake water monitoring according to Globe and Green Protocols; they discussed on water-soil interaction, presented a case study on a river resurgence and an operating model of ground water.
IS Fermi students managed a dynamic model of aeroponic culture and an integrated hydraulic system dynamic model with a biological purification cycle.
Water conservation in agriculture (COP21 theme) and scientific experiments to measure the phytotoxicity of irrigation water are the two activities run by IS Strozzi Mantova.
Visitors assisted to simulations of intervention of the Civil Protection against environmental risks. (COP21 theme).
Fab-Lab Mantova - Fermi operators show 3D Printer applications to model the environment
The exhibition of 6 old mill models (water–energy relation) was presented by the City and the Pro Loco volunteers Revere.
Students of Junior High School Parazzi in Viadana ran 6 workshops for clay processing, a material taken from the flood plains of the river Po, which for centuries formed the raw material for the construction of the noble and the poor buildings in the Po Valley (Water and jobs theme).
Cycling along the shores of the lakes were led by volunteers from the Italian Association of Friends of the Bicycle (FIAB) Mantova. (exploring your water environment, zero impact tourism themes)
Touristic excursions on the lakes of Mantua for hundreds of children and students were made by the motorboats of the Andes-Negrini and Navi-Andes companies: on the boat you can enjoy the best view of the skyline of Mantua right from the Lakes. (discover the beauty of your water environment and Mantova Italian Capital of Culture 2016 themes)
IC Mantova 3 Junior High School students brought visitors to “read” the monuments that characterize the skyline of the City. (discover the beauty of your water environment and Mantova Italian Capital of Culture 2016 themes).
TEA Acque (TEA Waters), the agency for procurement and distribution of drinking water, invited the classes to participate in a game to discover the quality of water supplied by the waterworks and how to care it. (aware drinking water consumption, COP21 theme)
The Inter-regional Agency for the River Po (AIPO) presented its activities: to implement and maintain the public works of the river network of the Po basin; to treat the public water management (state property and water resources); to manage the extremes of full; to implement and manage water projects which will enable river navigation; research and development. (Water and Jobs theme)
The Lombardia Region Environmental Protecion Agecy (ARPA) experts made demonstrations of water testing, according to Italian laws.
Nutrition properties of drinking water were explained by students of Bonomi Mazzolari High School, while TEA Acque, the public company for the delivery of drinking water discussed with students and teachers the quality of it. (COP21 theme)
Boat excursions on Rio canal in Mantova Center were offered by Mantova Town Hall and Amici di Palzzo Te association.
Belfiore High School and Bozzolo Primary School were involved in demonstrations about the water-energy relation. For the WWD the new Vasarina hydroelectric plant was open for public visits, located on the shores of Lungolago Mincio. (water-energy relation and COP21 themes)
Funny water science experiments were run by MASTeR, the Environment Science Technology and Research interactive Museum in Mantova
After the resounding success of 2014 and 2015 editions, this year the "Puppet Maurizio Corniani" was given the task of illustrating the types of activities and how much work the Consortium of Reclamation Mincio Territories does: an ingenious way of communicating actual contents by widespread popular art in the past, that entertains and informs young viewers, also adults.
Several ecological activities were proposed by Mincio and Oglio Sud Parks. On the whole, the Contract of the Mincio River, which constitutes a concrete hope to heal the waters of the entire river basin through a participatory planning project.
In this context special importance were given to the monitoring activities of surface water, held by experts of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency, ARPA, and by researchers of the National Research Council, CNR-IREA, in Milan, which shown also satellite images of Mincio River an Mantova Lakes, concerning the water parameter monitoring by remote sensing.
The participants in the event were painted on their skin by students of Senior High School ITET Mantegna with images related to water.
The GREEN BAND, the young group of the Mantova City Band, played film music.
Labter-Crea School Network and IISS Bassa Friulana people promoting, co-ordinating ang managing the event
it is not possible to mention all the stakeholders and all the activities carried out.