City on Lake Garda takes action - major fire in Rome: "Italy is preparing for a difficult summer"

Created: 07/06/2022Updated: 07/06/2022 09:36

By: Patrick Mayer

Dangerous drought: There was a major fire in a park near the Vatican in Rome.

© IMAGO/Ansa/Massimo Percossi

The drought causes forest fires in Italy - for example in a park in Rome.

Meanwhile, Verona is taking drastic measures near the holiday hotspot Lake Garda.

Munich/Rome/Verona – Italy is struggling with heat, drought, dryness and water shortages.

The Po, at 652 kilometers the longest river in the country and of vital importance for agriculture and industry in northern Italy, has dried up completely in many places.

The government in Rome therefore declared a state of emergency for five regions: Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

This means that cities and municipalities in the regions can now more easily adopt state-mandated water saving measures.

The city of Verona, with its 250,000 inhabitants, which is only 25 kilometers east of Lake Garda, promptly took drastic measures this Tuesday (July 5) and announced new rules.

Drought and heat in Italy: Verona on Lake Garda is taking drastic measures

Specifically: Gardens can no longer be watered with drinking water, fountains have been turned off, private pools must remain empty.

Violators face fines of up to 500 euros.

The daily newspaper

symbolically posted a photo of the Laghetto Squarà on Twitter.

The small lake on the outskirts has completely dried up.

Drought and heat in Italy: farmers' association expects a bad harvest

But: Are the measures too late?

The Italian Farmers' Association already expects at least 30 percent of the harvest to be lost due to the drought.

Even the production of the popular cheese Parmesan is said to be in danger because of the water shortage.

According to the news channel CNN, the cows and cattle from whose milk the cheese is made no longer get enough water for the applicable quality standards - for example for the "DOP" seal of origin.

In addition to the risks for agriculture and the food industry, which is a major employer in cities like Bologna, Modena and Parma, there is now another problem: forest fires.

In the video: Italy decides on a drought emergency in five regions - including Lombardy and Veneto

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The fire brigade of the capital had to fight a major fire in the middle of Rome on Monday (July 4th).

This erupted in a park a few kilometers from the Vatican.

A helicopter supported the units on the ground in extinguishing the fire, and children had to be evacuated from two sports centers.

Because of the drought and extreme heat, the highest forest fire warning level also applies to the holiday island of Sicily.

According to civil protection, firefighting aircraft have already been requested here, as well as occasionally in the Lazio region, which surrounds the capital Rome.

Further requests for support against forest fires came from the southern Italian regions of Calabria and Apulia as well as from Veneto, on whose Alpine border with South Tyrol the serious glacier accident on the Marmolada occurred in the Dolomites.

The much too warm weather was mentioned as one of the reasons.

Has run out of water in many places: The Po, Italy's longest and largest river.

© Luca Bruno/AP/dpa

Drought, drought and heat: "Italy is preparing for a difficult summer"

Meanwhile, the search for preventive measures to save water is intensifying.

"Wastewater is a resource. We have to clean it more often and thus better include it in the cycle," explained Simona Rossetti from the National Research Council of the ARD "Tagesschau": "There are many options for action that we have and that have started now Need to become.

In Italy, but also around the world.” The “Tagesschau” contribution ended with the sentence: “Italy is preparing for a difficult summer.”