Water Rationing In Italy From Extreme Drought

Due to extreme drought, water will be rationed in Italy – Po river has almost dried up!

StrangeSounds

On Monday evening, the head of the Civil Protection Fabrizio Curcio said that due to the ongoing extreme drought “some areas of Italy will certainly face water rationing and could also be turned off in daytime.”

After a year without rain and snow, the Po Valley is experiencing an unprecedented period of drought aggravated by temperatures above the seasonal average.

In many municipalities in Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia, measures have been taken to limit water consumption (i.e., suspending water supplies at night).

Meanwhile, water shortage is also experienced across the country.

The Po River, the longest river in Italy, is hitting record low water levels after months without heavy rainfall. This Copernicus Sentinel-2 animation shows a part of the Po Valley, near Piacenza, and reveals how the river has significantly shrunk between June 2020 and June 2022.

Stretching from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic Sea on the east coast, the vast waterway is a vital source of water for several regions. It is used for drinking water, nourishing vast swathes of agricultural land, as well as producing hydroelectric power across northern Italy.

Water in the Po Valley has now dropped to record-low levels, partly as a result of the lack of rainfall that northern Italy has been suffering, as well as high temperatures and a lack of snow in the mountains that feed the river. Many of these areas have now been without any rain at all for more than 110 days, according to the Po River Observatory.

The Po Valley is the most important agricultural area in the country, as it produces around 40% of Italy’s food including wheat, rice and tomatoes. With the ongoing drought, farmers are struggling to keep crops irrigated and many towns in the Po Valley have been asked to ration water during the night amidst the drought.