Drought emergency: water tankers delivering drinking water to Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont and the Marche. In Pavia, worshippers pray for rain

In particular, several areas of the Po District continue to grapple with the effects of the recent heatwaves: at the hydrometric stations in Cremona and Borgoforte , river flows remain well below average and are characteristic of a ‘severe drought’.

The water level of Lake Maggiore has now reached its lower limit, so, in the absence of significant inflows, the regulator will be forced to reduce discharges to a minimum so as not to compromise the system’s functionality.

In Piedmont – where maize crops, meadows, orchards and rice fields are at risk – “the situation remains critical, particularly along the Sesia (an area that also extends into part of Lombardy)”.

In the Delta, the flow rates of the Po, whilst rising slightly, have not yet reached a level sufficient to counter the advance of the saline intrusion with the necessary vigour; this intrusion is now also affecting the Po di Goro branch (Ferrara) on a permanent basis.

Across the district, crops need further irrigation to reach full maturity. The outlook is not rosy, but, as the Observatory points out, “it is the drinking water sector that is now beginning to cause serious concern.”

According to figures provided by Utilitalia, a number of local authorities are already being supplied with water via tankers as part of this emergency service: the Rodigino area, where a high level of water scarcity has been recorded, is already affected , as are the Pavese, Vercellese, Novarese, Alessandrino and Cuneese areas .

"Many municipalities in the northern Marche region are also suffering particularly badly."

In Emilia-Romagna, the Bologna area bucks the trend, with Suviana at 93 per cent – now a thriving resource – and Brasimone at 67 per cent.

Conditions are also good in the Rimini area, both at Ridracoli (72 per cent) and Conca (49 per cent).

Thanks to the recent storms, water levels in the Great River are rising at the Palantone plant, where the Cer Consortium’s intake is continuing to operate as normal.

Among the river basins in the district, that of the River Po – which gives its name to the entire district – is the largest in Italia, with a total area of approximately 70,330 km² (74,310 km² including the international sections) and a river length of approximately 652 km.

The River Po rises in Monviso and, as it flows through the Po Valley, it collects the waters of many watercourses, 38 of which are its main tributaries, before flowing into the Adriatic Sea north of Ravenna, forming a delta of approximately 480 km².)

The district covers 8 regions: Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Lombardy, Veneto, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche and the Autonomous Province of Trento, 39 provinces, 5 metropolitan cities and around 3,300 municipalities (3,314 as at 1 January 2024 – Istat).

The appeal comes directly from Monsignor Corrado Sanguineti, Bishop of Pavia. In the face of the ongoing drought, which is becoming increasingly alarming despite the thunderstorms of recent days, the Church in Pavia is calling on the faithful to pray that the Lord may grant “the gift of rain”.

The stifling heat, which has persisted for weeks, and the lack of rainfall are bringing agriculture in the province of Pavia to its knees, as it grapples with a water crisis on a par with that of 2022.

The fall in water levels in the Po and Ticino rivers, combined with the early melting of the snow, has forced the Consorzio Est Sesia to introduce irrigation rotas in an attempt to safeguard crops, starting with rice. This emergency situation is causing concern amongst all local institutions and has even prompted a ‘spiritual intervention’ from the leadership of the Curia of Pavia.

This is not the first time this has happened: in previous years too, following long periods of drought, prayers were said in the parishes of Pavia for rain to come, bringing benefits to the fields and some relief to people exhausted by the heat and humidity.

In a message sent to priests today, the Diocese has announced a suggested prayer intention, drawn up by the Liturgical Pastoral Service, which may be included (and adapted) in the Prayer of the Faithful during Sunday and weekday Masses: “Grant us beneficial rain,” reads the intention, “so that after the generous sowing there may be an abundant harvest and no one may lack their daily bread. We pray to you”.

The Curia of Pavia also points out that, on certain communal occasions, it is possible to use a prayer composed by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1976, in which the Lord is asked to send “the longed-for rain from heaven upon the parched earth, so that fruits may be reborn and both people and animals may be saved”. 

“May the rain be for us a sign of your grace and blessing: so that, comforted by your mercy, we may give you thanks for every gift of earth and heaven, with which your Spirit quenches our thirst – as Pope Montini emphasised in his prayer 50 years ago – Through Jesus Christ, your Son, who has revealed your love to us, the spring of living water gushing forth for eternal life”.