Water crisis in Chianocco (November 2026)
Date of the event:
The Chianocco water crisis is the fault in the aqueduct network that, from Sunday 8 November 2026, leaves several areas of the Susa Valley municipality without water or with intermittent supply, starting with the Vernetto hamlet. The municipality brings in SMAT tanker trucks — SMAT being the company that manages the integrated water service — to refill the storage tanks left empty [1][2].
How the fault developed
SMAT technicians intervene as early as Sunday 8 November. At first, finding no obvious pipe breaks, the working theory is that some stuck Clayton valves are preventing the tanks from filling [1]. By evening the problem seems solved, but during the night the tank levels drop again, and the service is kept at a minimum level thanks to the continuous supply from the tanker trucks [1][2].
At 5am on Monday 9 November the municipal administration urgently calls SMAT back in. From dawn, technicians search for a second hidden leak, found in via XXV Aprile, where in the afternoon a work crew carries out repairs; further checks are also carried out in the Barmafeissard area. To speed up the filling of the tank left empty, SMAT provides two tanker trucks that take turns supplying it directly, while the municipality states it cannot give a definite timeframe for restoring the service [1][2].
From the late afternoon of Monday 9 November the municipality reports that the leaks found in via XXV Aprile and at Barmafeissard have been fully repaired and that the pipe has been bled at its highest points. Tank levels are almost fully restored and the pressure measured at household connections is around 4.5 bar, with the situation gradually returning to normal [1].
Reactions and reports of damage
On social media, Chianocco residents report problems with being unable to use bathrooms and care for elderly people, as well as difficulties for bars and venues unable to operate without water [1]. One resident tells Valsusa Oggi's newsroom that their home's boiler stopped working because of the fault [1]. The municipality states that SMAT, responsible for the aqueduct network, handles compensation requests through a dedicated claims office, since damage caused to third parties by the integrated water service's infrastructure is covered by a specific insurance policy [1].
Sources
- Valsusa Oggi — 9 November 2026
- L'Agenda News — 9 November 2026