Drought Emergency in Five Regions of Italy

The Italian government under Prime Minister Mario Draghi declared a state of emergency due to water scarcity in five northern Italian regions on 4 July 2022, running until 31 December.

35 million euros to limit the negative effects of the drought, which has persisted for months, have been made available for the regions of

• Piedmont
• Lombardy
• Veneto
• Friuli Venezia Giulia
• Emilia-Romagna

as announced following a cabinet meeting.

Northern Italy Hit Hardest

The largest share — 10.9 million euros — goes to the Emilia-Romagna region, where the mouth of the River Po is located. Northern Italy in particular is currently experiencing severe drought. Due to the ongoing water shortage, a state of emergency may soon also be requested in the central Italian regions of Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio.

According to the farmers’ association Coldiretti, 270,000 agricultural businesses are located in the drought-affected regions. «The water shortage is a national emergency!«, said the head of the farmers’ association, Ettore Prandini.

The water level in the River Po — Italy’s longest river — dropped so far that saltwater penetrated kilometres into the riverbed at the sea outlet. In some places, the water level is lower than it has been in 70 years. Large lakes such as Lake Garda are carrying significantly less water than usual for this time of year. Cities such as Pisa and Verona recently imposed restrictions on water use. Venice and Milan turned off some of their public fountains.

Another consequence of the drought: hydroelectric power generation has declined significantly. Hydroelectric plants are found primarily in the mountains in the north of the country, where they normally supply almost one fifth of Italy’s electricity needs.

The severity and likelihood of droughts have, with high certainty, increased in the Mediterranean region and other parts of the world as a result of climate change.