Marina di Modica, the solitary gesture of an entrepreneur to safeguard the pond of the district

Sometimes, proclamations are not needed to demonstrate what it truly means to take care of one’s territory. This is what happened in Marina di Modica, where entrepreneur Puccia chose to intervene personally to restore dignity to the pond of the seaside district, heavily compromised after the passage of Cyclone Harry and the uncivility of those who continue to use the area as a dump.

In recent days, the body of water appeared in alarming conditions: plastic, wood, waste of all kinds floated on the surface or accumulated along the banks, transforming one of the most picturesque places in the area into a degraded and potentially dangerous environment for the fauna.

The pond, in fact, has been a small natural ecosystem for years, hosting geese, ducks, herons, egrets, turtles, and various fish species. A heritage of biodiversity that attracts residents and visitors and makes the protection of the area even more urgent.

In the face of this scenario, Puccia did not wait for institutional interventions: he gathered some collaborators and organized a real clean-up operation, even using a pedal boat to reach the most difficult spots. The results are surprising: over 650 kilograms of waste recovered from the water and banks.

“For those who live here year-round – explains the entrepreneur – seeing the pond reduced to this is painful. It is a place that belongs to the community and deserves respect.”

Despite the results achieved, the situation requires deeper interventions. During the clean-up, two main issues emerged:

many wastes lie on the bottom, difficult to recover without adequate means;

the widespread presence of microplastics, already visible to the naked eye, poses a concrete risk to the animals that inhabit the area.

“If action is not taken soon – warns Puccia – these materials will end up dispersing or being engulfed by the sand. The greatest danger is that they will be ingested by the fauna.”

The initiative thus reignites the spotlight on the need for a more careful management of coastal natural areas, increasingly vulnerable to the combined effects of extreme weather phenomena and irresponsible behaviors.

The gesture of Puccia, born in silence and without fanfare, becomes a concrete example of active citizenship and a call to not turn a blind eye when the community asks for help.