The mayor of an Italian town has banned hairdressers and barbers from shampooing their customers hair twice in an effort to conserve water during one of the most severe droughts in decades.
Carlo Gubellini, mayor of Castenaso, near Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region, said thousands of litres of water were squandered each day through double-shampooing, which many hairdressers believe is beneficial and hence double-rinsing.
He is believed to be the only mayor in Italy to take such a measure, which will involve checks and fines of up to €500 for salons breaking the rule, as Italy fights drought during an intense, protracted heat wave.
Castenaso, which has a population of 16,000, is home to 10 hairdressers and barber shops.
Gubellini told Corriere della Sera that if we multiply the amount of water used for each customer, we are talking about thousands of litres a day. Castenaso is small: imagine what it means in terms of water consumption in large cities. We issued the order on Saturday, because hairdressers are closed on Sundays and Mondays to give them time to adapt. A handbook accompanying the measure states that 13 litres of water a minute flows from an open tap, and that at least 20 litres is required to rinse someone's hair twice.
Gubellini said the rule, in place until September, had gone well. He said the feedback was positive. This ordinance is not intended to be an oppressive purpose, but rather empowering citizens. Some were not impressed as the salons of Castenaso were reopened on Tuesday morning.
Katia, who works at Nuova Equipe hairdressers, said it was a bit ridiculous. It is hard to wash and rinse twice, as some of the products we use require it, and also types of hair, especially if the customer's hair is quite dirty. Gubellini said he hoped to be able to tweak the measure before it expired but added that the situation was really alarming, as Emilia-Romagna has enough water reserves to keep farmland until June 29th, then things could get worse from July onwards, he said.
Mayors of other Italian cities and cities have imposed water rationing measures, including Milan, where public fountains have been turned off. Regions in northern Italy are suffering the most due to the prolonged drought of Italy's longest river, the Po, after scant rain and snowfall this winter.