Drought in the north; alarm over the Po’s water level dropping below zero; the Adige has enough water for 10 days; Lake Garda’s water level is also falling
The situation is critical in Veneto, where a state of emergency has already been declared. Both river flows and rainfall levels remain below average.
Key points
A few thunderstorms are not enough to resolve a severe water shortage. And if we are to avoid further damage, we must not let our guard down. This is the warning issued by the National Association of Consortia for the Management and Protection of the Territory and Irrigation Waters (ANBI) following the spell of bad weather over the past few days, amidst a sweltering start to the summer.
Critical situation in Veneto; state of emergency declared
The situation in northern Italia, and in the north-east in particular, remains critical. The President of the Veneto Region, Alberto Stefani, has signed a declaration of a regional state of emergency. This decision was taken in light of the rainfall deficit that began in March (-21 per cent), worsened in April and remains below the historical average in May.
In this regard, the president of ANBI, Francesco Vincenzi, has sent a request to convene the steering committee for the Po river basin to the Special Commissioner for the Water Emergency, Fabio Ciciliano (who is also Head of the National Civil Protection Department), as well as to the Secretaries-General of the relevant district river basin authorities (“Po River Basin” and “Eastern Alps”).
Avoiding the mistakes of 2022: a few storms made people forget the crisis
“We cannot repeat the mistake of 2022,” explained Vincenzi, “when a few storms were enough to remove the drought emergency from the political agenda. In fact, a few weather events – however violent and damaging they may be – are not enough to suggest that a serious water shortage, which is hampering the most important region for the Italian agri-food sector, has been resolved.”
Stopping the salt wedge from moving upstream along rivers
“It is above all at times like these,” added the Director-General of ANBI, Massimo Gargano – “that the need for a consultation forum becomes clear, to prevent the areas downstream of the river from being disproportionately penalised, as is currently the case in the Polesine Delta, which has now been contaminated for tens of kilometres by the rise of the saline wedge.”
