What is this mysterious “Kagoshima Method”? And why would it be good to apply it to our volcano Mount Etna, or rather, to everything around it? Does it have anything to do with tourism? The answer to all these questions will emerge as you read this article, but a concrete and valid response should first and foremost come from local politicians. And it should be immediate! We learned about this “method”… which is nothing but organization and common sense… from Catania volcanologist Dr. Boris Behncke, who illustrated it (as he has been doing for over ten years) at a public conference on the risks and opportunities offered by Etna.

It is not a method but pure organization

We called it the “Kagoshima Method,” but it’s not a secret plan or the work of some sophisticated mind: it’s pure and simple organization. The organization of a Japanese municipality that has to deal with ashfall from a nearby volcano practically every month!

Kagoshima is a city of about 600,000 inhabitants, twinned with Naples because it also sits on a gulf dominated by a volcano. Their volcano, however, Sakurajima, is not dormant like Vesuvius but vibrant and very active. Its eruption style is explosive, and when it erupts, very frequently throughout the year, it emits large explosions that send enormous clouds of ash and debris into the air. Depending on the wind, these clouds settle in the surrounding area and almost always fall back on the city of Kagoshima.

Streets, squares, railways, gardens… everything fills with a gray, toxic blanket, dangerous if inhaled for too many days. But in Kagoshima, residents never run this risk because the city (and perhaps the entire prefecture) is organized to resolve the “ash problem” quickly. How? Simply by training workers, municipal technicians, and citizens on what to do immediately. EVERYONE knows what to do, when, and where.

How does the “Kagoshima method” work?

Every time Sakurajima fills the city with ash, teams of specialized workers trained to remove the ash quickly and efficiently are immediately deployed. The workers are assisted by “ash-sweeping” machines, similar to those used in some municipalities near Etna, but equipped also with a humidification system. The ash is first moistened and then removed, so as not to create dangerous clouds of fine dust.

Residents who clean their homes themselves place the ash in special, durable bags provided by the municipality. And they already know where to deposit them: in specific locations, from which they will later be collected by specialized companies. Public and private sector workers are working together to immediately free the city from the ash. Then, the collected volcanic material is processed and transformed into objects, sand for construction, but also solid blocks to be used as breakwaters or as bases for extending piers, ports, and beaches!

Why it doesn’t work in Sicily?

In Sicily, the Kagoshima method doesn’t work because no one has ever tried to apply it! Municipalities prefer to cry poverty and invoke a “state of emergency,” when they should be asking—or rather, badly demanding—for the funds needed to launch this organization. And never mind if funding has to be cut from the feast of St Agatha, the Summer Fair, or the October Festivals.. citizens’ health must come first. And living with an active volcano like Etna must be the priority.

INGV volcanologists have been informing politicians at all levels about what to do, for years. They always receive a lot of praise, but then, in practice, no one commits, no one stirs the waters. And at the next eruption, it’s back to crying!

Good for tourism

Applying this ingenious method of immediate action would benefit residents as well as tourism.
Etna is one of Sicily’s main tourist attractions and represents a very important resource for the economy and the development of the region. Located in the eastern part of the island, it is the highest active volcano in Europe and is famous throughout the world. Every year, numerous tourists visit to admire its craters, lava flows, and the surrounding nature. Excursions to the volcano can be done on foot, with specialized guides, or, in some areas, by cable car or other means of transport. Furthermore, during the winter, its slopes become a popular destination for snow sports enthusiasts.

Etna’s touristic importance extends not only to the volcano itself, but also to the towns and cities located nearby. Tourism supports the operation of hotels, restaurants, shops, farms, and visitor services. The volcano is also an important natural and cultural heritage site, worthy of protection and respect… and Catania Airport plays a fundamental role in all of this. Let’s not forget the serious disruption this facility has suffered due to Etna’s ash clouds. A busy airport like Fontanarossa can’t afford to shut down in the height of the summer season, or in the midst of Christmas rushes! Just like cities, the airport must have the manpower and resources to deal with the ash problem quickly.

And while it has no control over the ash that remains suspended in the air, it must still be perfectly organized to transport and pick up passengers from flights that, inevitably, are diverted to Palermo and Comiso on those days. Experience teaches us, and if we’re always counting the damage—after every eruption—it means we’ve decided NOT to learn. And this is wrong, it’s harmful, both for the health and the economy of the Etna villages.

Etna gives us time…

Etna is “understanding.” It gives us plenty of time to act. Unlike Sakurajima, in fact, it doesn’t emit ash clouds every month. Sometimes six months or a year, or even years, pass before eruptions with dangerous ash columns. So we have all the time and concentration to think about, create, and work on a Catanian “Kagoshima method.” What are we still waiting for? (PHOTO BY G MUSUMECI and Livy Travels – Pexels)