Impakter
  • News
    • Culture
      • Art
      • Cinema
      • Entertainment
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Photography
    • Style
      • Architecture
      • Design
      • Fashion
      • Foodscape
      • Lifestyle
    • Society
      • Business
      • Foreign Affairs & Politics
      • Health
      • Tech
      • Science
      • Start-up
    • Impact
      • Environment
      • Eco Life
      • Circular Economy
      • COP26
      • CityLife
        • Copenhagen
        • San Francisco
        • Seattle
        • Sydney
      • Sustainability Series
        • SDGs Series
        • Shape Your Future
        • 2030: Dream or Reality
      • Philanthropy
        • United Nations
        • NGO & Charities
        • Essays
  • Business Hub
  • Sustainability Index
  • Partners
  • About
    • Team
    • Contributors
    • Global Leaders
    • Write for Impakter
      • Republishing Content
      • Permissions and Copyright
      • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Culture
      • Art
      • Cinema
      • Entertainment
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Photography
    • Style
      • Architecture
      • Design
      • Fashion
      • Foodscape
      • Lifestyle
    • Society
      • Business
      • Foreign Affairs & Politics
      • Health
      • Tech
      • Science
      • Start-up
    • Impact
      • Environment
      • Eco Life
      • Circular Economy
      • COP26
      • CityLife
        • Copenhagen
        • San Francisco
        • Seattle
        • Sydney
      • Sustainability Series
        • SDGs Series
        • Shape Your Future
        • 2030: Dream or Reality
      • Philanthropy
        • United Nations
        • NGO & Charities
        • Essays
  • Business Hub
  • Sustainability Index
  • Partners
  • About
    • Team
    • Contributors
    • Global Leaders
    • Write for Impakter
      • Republishing Content
      • Permissions and Copyright
      • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Impakter
No Result
View All Result
Home Society Climate Change

125 Italian Towns to Ration Water Amid Worst Po River Drought in 70 Years

As a result of unusual heat and lack of rainfall, Italy’s longest river is experiencing the worst drought in 70 years, with citizens in Piedmont and Lombardy asked to ration water

byAmber van Unen
June 16, 2022
in Climate Change, Environment
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

During the first months of 2022, unexpected, higher-than-usual temperatures have taken Italy by surprise, which for months has also been deprived of significant rainfall for months. According to Secretary-General of the River Po district authority Meuccio Berselli, some Northern regions didn’t see rain in 110 days.

Another factor contributing to the water crisis is the lack of snow in the Alps.

“The snow in the Alps in Piedmont and Lombardy has totally run out,” said Utilitalia, a federation of water companies. “If this helped to replenish the flows of the Po in May, the large reservoir that usually acts as a buffer in the summer months is depleted. All the measurement stations along the Po, with the exception of Piacenza, are in severe drought conditions, with flow rates well below the average for the period.”

This combination of heat, lack of rainfal, and significantly less snow in the winter has caused the worst drought in seven decades along the 650km (400-mile) Po River, which stretches from the Alps in the north-west and flows through the Po delta all the way to the Adriatic Sea near Venice, crossing several important cities in Northern Italy including Turin and Piacenza as well as some of Europe’s most important agricultural zones, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto.

According to Italy’s river observatory, the demand for water in the Po Valley, which accounts for nearly half of Italy’s population, is high while the supply is running out. As Berselli told Italian news agency ANSA on Wednesday, the water supply has been so low in some towns across the Piedmont and Lombardy regions that water had to be brought in by trucks.

“The local reservoirs are fed by sources that no longer exist,” Berselli said.

And with no rain forecast, the crisis is only set to get worse, warns the river observatory, underlining that some parts of the Po valley are forecast to reach 36°C this week. 

With Po valley being the most densely populated area in Italy and its most important industrial and agricultural region, the situation threatens to severely impact agricultural activities as well as commercial shipping. Hoping to prevent this and resote reservoir levels, Utilitalia has asked for the nightly suspension of drinking water supplies in 125 towns, 100 in the Piedmont region and 25 in Bergamo province in Lombardy.

Overall, this is the second major water crisis in the west, preceded by the situation in the US two weeks ago: Loss of water in the Colorado River Basin that could result in severe water cuts across four US states, affecting millions. This is yet another confirmation of the devastating, and inescapable effects of climate change. While the worst climate change impacts have so far disproportionately affected the developing world, they are now evidently beginning to hit the Western world as well, going as far as causing water rationing in Europe and the US. 


Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: Italy’s River Po is at risk of drying up. Featured Photo Credit: Samuele Gallini, via Euronews. 

Tags: climate emergencyglobal climate actionitalywater crisiswater shortage
Previous Post

What’s Outer Space Got to Do with COVID-19?

Next Post

Yellowstone Damaged by Historic Flood

Amber van Unen

Amber van Unen

Amber is from the Netherlands and is currently based in Milan, Italy. She has recently graduated from the University of Amsterdam in Sociology, Political Science and Journalism, and has a great ambition for writing, interviewing, and researching. While finalizing her studies, she worked at the Afghan Embassy in London as a public affairs intern. She is focused on raising public awareness of urgent social matters in society. Besides that, she occasionally works as a fashion model.

Related Posts

Indigenous Languages and Ecocide: The Legacy of Western Colonialism Re-examined
Environment

Indigenous Languages and Ecocide: The Legacy of Western Colonialism Re-examined

March 21, 2023
IPCC report
Climate Change

UN IPCC: Leaders Urged to Heed Science and Act Now to Avert Climate Catastrophe

March 20, 2023
Critical Water Shortage: World to Face a 40% Deficit by 2030, New Report Warns
Climate Change

Critical Water Shortage: World to Face a 40% Deficit by 2030, New Report Warns

March 20, 2023
Next Post
Yellowstone Damaged by Historic Flood

Yellowstone Damaged by Historic Flood

Recent News

Indigenous Languages and Ecocide: The Legacy of Western Colonialism Re-examined

Indigenous Languages and Ecocide: The Legacy of Western Colonialism Re-examined

March 21, 2023
An image of green space in a 15-minute city, the urban planning idea around which a conspiracy has grown

The 15-Minute City: How Did a Convenient Concept Become So Controversial?

March 21, 2023
Ukraine reconstruction women

Including Women in Sustainable Reconstruction in Ukraine

March 21, 2023
impakter-logo-light

Impakter informs you through the eco news site and empowers your sustainable lifestyle with its eco products marketplace.

Visit here IMPAKTER ECO for your eco products needs.

Registered Office Address

32 Lots Road, London
SW10 0QJ, United Kingdom


IMPAKTER Limited

Company number: 10806931

Impakter is a publication that is identified by the following International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is the following 2515-9569 (Printed) and 2515-9577 (online – Website).


Office Hours - Monday to Friday

9.30am - 5.00pm CEST


Email

stories [at] impakter.com

About Us

  • Team
  • Contributors
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Partners

By Audience

  • Lifestyle
  • Green Finance
  • Culture
  • Society
  • Style
  • Impact

Impakter Platforms

  • Media
  • Index

© 2023 IMPAKTER. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Culture
    • Style
    • Society
    • Impact
  • Business Hub
  • Sustainability Index
  • About
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

© 2023 IMPAKTER. All rights reserved.

Impakter.com uses cookies to enhance your experience when visiting the website and to serve you with advertisements that might interest you. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.