Tourists banned from Italy's Capri island over water shortage
The Italian island of Capri banned tourists from disembarking on Saturday after problems with the water supply system threatened to leave the holiday hotspot dry.
The ban by Capri mayor Paolo Falco forced several ferries on their way to the island from Naples and Sorrento in southern Italy to turn back.
The company responsible for supplying the island with water said there had been a technical problem on the mainland on Thursday, and while that had since been fixed, problems with the supply to Capri remained.
Falco warned of "a real emergency" and said that while there was still water on most of the island on Friday, local tanks were "running out".
"The emergency would be worsened by the arrival of the thousands of tourists which arrive in Capri daily", he said.
Locals could collect up to 25 litres of drinking water per household from a supply tanker, he said.
The ban, which does not apply to residents, will be in place until further notice.
Capri, in the Bay of Naples, is famous for its white villas, cove-studded coastline and upscale hotels.
There are some 13,000 permanent residents on the island but huge numbers of day-trippers visit it in the summer months.
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The ban by Capri mayor Paolo Falco forced several ferries on their way to the island from Naples and Sorrento in southern Italy to turn back.
The company responsible for supplying the island with water said there had been a technical problem on the mainland on Thursday, and while that had since been fixed, problems with the supply to Capri remained.
Falco warned of "a real emergency" and said that while there was still water on most of the island on Friday, local tanks were "running out".
"The emergency would be worsened by the arrival of the thousands of tourists which arrive in Capri daily", he said.
Locals could collect up to 25 litres of drinking water per household from a supply tanker, he said.
The ban, which does not apply to residents, will be in place until further notice.
Capri, in the Bay of Naples, is famous for its white villas, cove-studded coastline and upscale hotels.
There are some 13,000 permanent residents on the island but huge numbers of day-trippers visit it in the summer months.
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