“The situation is difficult across the country. There are particularly affected areas such as the Po river plain, the eastern Alps and some regions in central Italy. However, the problem exists at the state level, ”said civil protection chief Fabrizio Curcio in an interview with the TV channel Sky Tg24 on Monday.
A state of emergency has already been declared in the provinces of Latium and Lombardy, and the whole country might follow. “We are in the process of defining the criteria and, above all, the measures with the regions,” said Curcio, “I think that in the next few days, at least in the next few weeks, we will have clear measures and can declare a state of emergency.”
Bottom as the biggest problem area
In some areas of the country it has not rained for around four months, and rivers and reservoirs have dried up. The Po, Italy’s longest river, has been hit by its worst drought in around 70 years. The 652-kilometer-long stream is essential for around a third of agricultural production. “The water flow has halved within two weeks,” announced the Italian irrigation authority ANBI.
The water level would have to be more than double the current level to prevent seawater from flowing into the river bed and destroying agricultural land. Mussel production in the Po Delta also threatens to collapse. The increase in temperature without the possibility of changing the water has led to a 20 percent drop in production, according to the Coldiretti agricultural association. An entire sector is at risk due to water shortages, producing more than 93 million kilos of mussels and clams every year.
Drought: Italy considers water rationing
Italy is fighting the worst drought in around 70 years in the face of oppressive heat. This year’s precipitation was 50 percent lower than the average of previous years, according to civil defense chief Fabrizio Curcio. The consequences of water scarcity would be serious for agriculture, fisheries and electricity production.
Extremwetter
Although individual extreme events cannot be directly traced back to a specific cause, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change it is clear that extreme weather events such as floods, storms and heat are becoming more frequent and more intense as a result of the climate crisis. This means: Precipitation and storms are getting heavier, heat waves are getting hotter and droughts are getting drier.
In hundreds of small and medium-sized communities, especially in Piedmont, Lombardy and Friuli, water consumption is already rationed, it can only be used for drinking or other important areas of everyday life. In Milan, the fountains are to be turned off, except for those with plants and animals. In some places, even the drinking water supply is shut down overnight. An expansion is in the room: Civil Protection Chief Curcio warned on Monday that the water might also be rationed during the day.
For the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policy, Stefano Patuanelli, “unfortunately there is a risk of water rationing because water resources are scarce and a conscious and differentiated use of water is required”, as reported by “La Stampa”. . The priorities are clear: civil use comes first, followed by livestock and agriculture, and industry comes last.
“Problem solved only when it starts to rain”
Regarding a possible national declaration of emergency, Patuanelli said: “The fact that it continues to not rain is in itself an emergency.” And: “The problem is only solved when it starts to rain. At the moment we have no direct means of intervention other than civil protection, but decisions must be taken centrally to avoid water wars between different parts of the country.”
Structural deficits
Patuanelli pointed out that it will not only be an emergency this year: “We have to work on solving the problem of water use structurally.” The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (“SZ”) also took note of these structural deficiencies. recent reference: Italy would not only suffer from climate change and the associated droughts, but also from “its own, home-grown inability” to protect the water properly.
“The national pipeline network is so desolate and its management by the communities so fragmented that a lot of drinking water is lost every year completely unnecessarily on the way to households and into the economy – a memorable 42 percent, as a study by the state statistics office Istat just recently said pointed out. So almost half of the water seeps away somehow and somewhere,” wrote the “SZ”. After all, the shortcomings have been recognized, it said: “In the national recovery fund for the period following the pandemic, almost 900 million euros are earmarked for modernizing the network.”
ZIB correspondent Vospernik from Naples
What measures will the Italian authorities take now to deal with the heat? Cornelia Vospernik reports.
heat persists
Of course, that will take years, and in the short term there will be no all-clear: the heat wave in Italy will probably last at least ten more days, meteorologists warn. At least until July 4th and 5th, the African high pressure area should still be dominant, with isolated thunderstorms only in the Alps and in the north-west. However, significant precipitation is not expected. Peaks of 40 degrees are expected in the southern center and on the islands.
Fires in Italy: 9,000 hectares destroyed in six months
In total, more than 9,000 hectares have gone up in smoke in Italy in the past six months, more than double the average in recent years. The coldiretti agricultural association complained that the severe drought of the past few months favored the work of many arsonists. The lack of rainfall has caused the soil in the countryside and forests to dry out, making the areas increasingly exposed to the flames.
More than 200 fires have been reported since June 15, compared to 80 in 2021 and only 30 in 2020. “When fires break out in such a severe drought, fighting the flames is particularly difficult,” said Italian civil defense chief Fabrizio Curcio . The southern Italian region of Apulia is particularly affected by the fires. A fire north of the Adriatic port city of Bari destroyed 250 hectares.
