Drought emergency in Italy: what vacationers on Lake Garda and in Tuscany need to know now
Created: 07/19/2022, 05:00
By: Patrick Mayer
In some places the Po River has almost completely dried up, like here in Porticella near Parma.
© IMAGO / ZUMA Wire
In Italy, there is a state of emergency in five regions between Milan, Lake Garda and Venice due to dryness and drought.
What does that mean for vacationers?
Munich/Rome – will the swimming pools in hotels and holiday resorts soon be empty?
The north of Italy is struggling with a century drought between Turin, Milan, Lake Garda and Venice.
The country's largest river, the 652-kilometer-long Po, has completely dried up in some places.
The Po between the Cottian Alps in Piedmont and the Adriatic coast of Veneto is the most important lifeline for agriculture and the food industry.
Drought and dryness in Italy: state of emergency due to lack of water between Milan and Venice
Because of the drought and lack of water, the Italian government declared a state of emergency for five regions in northern Italy in Rome, which was itself sweltering: Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
This enables aid funds, the use of national civil protection and easier handling for stricter rules.
All of this is happening in the middle of the holiday season.
What tourists in northern Italy should now consider.
Holidays on Lake Garda: Pay attention to the water depth
The water level of Lake Garda is currently about half a meter lower than a year ago, explained Pierlucio Ceresa from the Association of Municipalities on Lake Garda of the
German Press Agency (dpa)
.
Riva, Malcesine, Bardolino and Sirmione - Lago di Garda is particularly popular with German holidaymakers.
Ceresa warned to check the water depth if, for example, you want to jump into the lake from rocks.
Otherwise, the water level has no effect on bathing.
However, the association is firmly opposed to the water being pumped out of the lake because of the precarious situation.
Verona on Lake Garda: no more water for swimming pools and swimming pools
While tourists on Lake Garda hardly notice the water shortage, apart from the fact that it may not rain, the situation in Verona, just 25 kilometers away, is different.
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Italy is pumping from Lake Garda - the water level has already fallen visibly
In the city of 257,000 people known for "Romeo and Juliet," citizens are only allowed to use drinking water during the day for cooking, drinking, cleaning, and personal hygiene.
This regulation applies until August 31st.
However, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. it is forbidden to water gardens and sports fields or to fill up swimming pools.
Washing the car is also no longer allowed.
Penalties of up to 500 euros are threatened if someone does not comply.
In the video: droughts and dryness in Italy - impact on Parmesan production
Citizens in Venice and Milan were also asked to refrain from activities that use a lot of water.
The big cities, however, switched off their public fountains.
In Lombardy, with Milan as the metropolis, air conditioning systems must not be set below 26 degrees.
Parks and sports fields are no longer irrigated in this region either.
A community in Emilia-Romagna went even further: in Castenaso, hairdressers are only allowed to wash their customers' hair once.
Mineral water could become scarce locally: Italians are hoarding because of water shortages
In Italy, a lot of mineral water is traditionally produced and consumed.
As the
Berliner Morgenpost
writes, in no other European country is mineral water drunk - converted to the number of inhabitants.
But: The industry is now sounding the alarm that the supply could become scarcer.
But that's not all: Because of the drought in the country, the environmental protection association Legambiente called for stricter quantity restrictions on the bottling of mineral water.
According to media reports, regional citizens have started hoarding mineral water.
Allegedly for fear that the drinking water could be further rationed.
Popular tourist attraction: the Battistero di San Giovanni with the “leaning tower of Pisa” in the background.
© IMAGO / YAY Images
If it doesn't rain soon in Italy: the state of emergency could be extended to Tuscany
A not unlikely development: the state of emergency could be extended to the regions in central Italy - for example to Tuscany.
Some cities are already paying in advance.
In Pisa, Tuscany, drinking water will only be used in the household from July 11th.
The city is considering measures similar to those already enforced in Verona in the north.
Means: Swimming pools could remain empty between Florence, Siena and the Tuscan Mediterranean coast.
(pm)
