"70 Million Won Fine for Hair Washing Twice by Hairdresser" ... Italy Facing Worst Drought

Small Town Castenaso Near Bologna
"Double Shampooing Wastes Thousands of Liters of Water Daily... The Situation Is Really Serious"

On the 17th (local time), the Po River flowing through Torino, Italy, is revealing its riverbed. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] As Italy suffers from the worst drought, a guideline has emerged in northern Italy imposing fines on hairdressers who wash customers' hair twice.

According to foreign media including the local daily Corriere della Sera and the British daily The Guardian, Carlo Gubellini, mayor of Castenaso, a small town near Bologna in northern Italy, announced on the 25th of this month a guideline banning "double hair washing" at hair salons and barbershops, citing the waste of thousands of liters (L) of water daily.

Castenaso has a population of 16,000 residents and a total of 10 barbershops and hair salons in operation. The city authorities decided to impose fines of up to 500 euros (about 700,000 won) for violations. The effectiveness of this guideline is expected to continue until September.

According to related materials released by the city authorities, leaving the tap running consumes 13L of water per minute, and shampooing and rinsing someone's hair twice requires at least 20L of water.

Mayor Gubellini said, "When adding up the amount of water used for individual customers, it reaches tens of millions of liters," and added, "Castenaso is a small town, but in a big city, the amount wasted like this would be enormous." He also emphasized that this ordinance is not intended to be oppressive but is for the rights of citizens.

In this regard, a hairdresser working at a salon in Castenaso expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "This is an absurd measure," and added, "For some of the products we use, one rinse is not enough, and if the customer's hair is very dirty, it is difficult not to wash the hair twice."

However, Mayor Gubellini said, "The situation is really serious," and stated, "The water reserves needed for the farmland in Emilia-Romagna, where Castenaso is located, are secured only until the 29th. The situation will deteriorate rapidly from July."

Due to almost no snow or rain since last winter, the Po River, Italy's longest river, has dried up, causing ongoing water shortages in northern Italy. In response, cities across Italy have rushed to conserve water. In Milan, the switches of public fountains were turned off to save water. In addition, many cities are urging citizens to minimize water use and have even implemented water rationing systems.