Drought-ravaged Italy declares state of emergency

Italy declared a state of emergency in five northern and central regions devastated by a recent drought as a severe heatwave takes its toll on agriculture and threatens power supplies.

High temperatures and exceptionally dry conditions have brought water levels in the Po, the country’s largest river, to its lowest in 70 years. 

Even amid a historically arid summer across Europe, the situation in the Po valley stands out. Months without rain and an earlier than usual halt in flows from melting snow in the western Alps have made large swathes of the river bed visible, so much so that a German tank from World War 2 resurfaced recently. 

Hydroelectric power, which usually supplies 15% of the country’s needs, is down 50% so far this year, while waters from the Adriatic Sea have entered into the Po delta for a record 30.6km, threatening farming and drinking water supplies. Northern Italian towns are already rationing water.  

The extreme conditions have led to an estimated 30% decline in seasonal harvests, including forage, barley, grain and rice in the region, according to agricultural group Coldiretti, worsening an already precarious situation for the industry — which the lobby called “strategic” for the national economy — due to the war in Ukraine.

The government led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi will set aside €36.5m (about R619m) in drought relief funds, according to a statement on Monday. Draghi rushed home early from a Nato summit last week to chair a meeting on the crisis. 

The extreme conditions were underscored at the weekend when a glacial ice shelf collapsed in the northern Italian Alps, sheared off amid a record high temperature of 10ºC at the glacier’s summit. 

At least 26 people were caught and at least seven died in the resulting avalanche on Sunday when a chunk of glacier broke loose on top of the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites range. 

Draghi, who travelled to the Alps on Monday, said the tragedy, although having elements of unpredictability, surely depends “on the deterioration of the environment and climate situation”.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com