I have a flooded basement. I need a pump.
al-la-GA-ta — stress the third syllable; double 'l' gives a held sound.
Use this in an emergency — after heavy rain, a burst pipe, or a flooding event when water has entered a cellar or lower floor. Italian ferramenta often stock submersible pumps and drainage equipment for exactly this situation.
Pompa sommersa (submersible pump) or pompa di drenaggio (drainage pump) removes water from flooded areas. They are plugged into a standard socket and submerged in the water. Most hire 500-1000 W models capable of moving several thousand litres per hour. Some ferramenta hire them by the day; others sell them. For severe floods, call the Vigili del Fuoco (fire brigade).
Avete una pompa sommersa da noleggiare?
Do you have a submersible pump for hire?
Noleggio (hire) is often more practical than purchasing for a one-off event.
Quanti litri al minuto può spostare?
How many litres per minute can it move?
Portata (flow rate) determines how quickly the pump can drain the space.
I vigili del fuoco intervengono per le cantine allagate.
The fire brigade responds to flooded basements.
In Italy, the Vigili del Fuoco respond to flooding emergencies and often pump out cellars for free.
Italy's increasingly frequent extreme rain events — partly attributed to climate change — have made basement flooding a growing urban problem, especially in cities with old drainage infrastructure like Milan (built on the Padana plain over buried waterways) and Rome. The 2023 Emilia-Romagna flood was Italy's worst in 100 years, affecting tens of thousands of homes and creating a boom in pump sales and waterproofing products.