All of Italy is struggling with the effects of the record heat. In the north of the country in particular, the Po Valley is suffering from the worst drought in 70 years. The situation is a “catastrophe of biblical proportions”. The priests also pray that rain will finally fall.
The extreme heat and drought has posed enormous challenges for Italy for many weeks. In north-western Piedmont, residents have been waiting in vain for rain since December 2021. The country’s largest river, the “Grande Fiume”, is currently eight meters below normal in Emilia-Romagna.
In the Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy regions, water shortages are jeopardizing a number of crops. Italy is currently experiencing the worst drought in at least 70 years.
The church now hopes for support from above. Archbishop Mario of Milan – like some of his colleagues – prayed over the weekend “for the gift of water and for a wise use of this vital element”.
In Piacenza, south-east of Milan, a small hydroelectric power station had to be shut down completely this week because the Po carries too little water, as the energy company Enel announced. Agriculture also makes extensive use of the river’s water.
Lombardy in northern Italy declared a state of emergency on Friday due to the drought. The regional government asked all consumers to use less water. Municipalities have been instructed to limit water use for non-essential activities such as street cleaning and watering parks and sports fields.
The water levels of Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda are significantly lower than usual for this time of year, and the Tiber, which flows through Rome, is also low.
According to the Ansa news agency, water is already being rationed in more than 200 communities in the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy. Farmer Giuseppe Casalone runs a farm nearby and speaks of disastrous conditions: “Believe me, I’m not exaggerating: We are experiencing a catastrophe of biblical proportions here.”
Even immediate rainfall could no longer save most of its dried-up plants. Summer has only just begun – and with July and August Italy is still facing the hottest and driest months.
With the months of drought, Italy is facing another huge problem. Because the level of the Po River is now lower than the level of the Adriatic Sea, salt water flows from the sea into the river bed and through the adjacent fertile soil.
Giancarlo Mantovani, Director of the Po Delta Maintenance Consortium, describes the drastic consequences at a press conference: “Nothing grows within a radius of 200 meters of the course of the river. The earth has become a desert.”
