Historic drought and water shortage: Italy declares a state of emergency in five regions

Created: 07/05/2022 10:36 am

By: Martina Lippl

Historic drought in Italy: Due to extreme water shortages, such as here on the Po, a state of emergency was declared in five regions.

© Ervin Shulku/imago

Northern Italy is groaning under drought.

Drinking water is already rationed in some areas.

The Italian government has now declared a state of emergency for several regions.

Rome – Water is extremely scarce in some areas of Italy.

Northern Italy in particular is suffering from a historic drought.

It hasn't been this dry since World War II.

The Italian government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi has now declared a state of emergency in five regions due to water shortages.

Italy declares a water shortage emergency in five regions

In

,

,

,

and

, the state of emergency applies until December 31st.

This will make it easier for the government to free up funds and resources to combat the effects of drought in the Alpine regions and the areas along the Po River.

Rome provided the regions with 36.5 million euros.

Italy declares a state of emergency due to drought

Northern Italy in particular is currently experiencing severe drought.

The water level of Lake Garda - Lago di Garda - is already around 50 centimeters lower than last year.

The alpine lake is still in a good position compared to other lakes such as Lago Maggiore, Lago di Como, Lago d'Iseo and Lago d'Idro.

The river Po is on "red alert" (allerta rossa).

In spring it had rained too little in Italy.

Add to that the lack of snow in winter.

The deficit is huge.

The authorities have been calling for water to be saved for a long time.

The Po - otherwise the lifeline of the region, withers away to a brook.

Farmers in the Po Valley are threatened with crop failure.

Drinking water has already been rationed in some communities.

Cities like Pisa and Verona recently restricted water use.

Venice and Milan turned off part of the fountains.

In order to further reduce water consumption, the mayor of Castenaso caused a stir with his ordinance on saving water: hairdressers in the 6,000-inhabitant community on the outskirts of Bologna are only allowed to flush once.

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Italy: Water is a precious commodity

The drastic water shortage in Italy has many causes.

According to the ARD "Tagesschau", the civil protection officer complained relentlessly about blatant abuses in the Italian water supply.

Rising temperatures and climate change are to blame for the water crisis.

But Italy simply lets 42 percent of its "Oro blu" seep away.