Extreme weather conditions : heat records and water shortages in Italy

Drought, heat and forest fires: Italy is suffering from extreme weather conditions, with dramatic consequences. In many places, water has to be rationed, and in Tuscany 30 percent of the harvest has already been lost.

Midday heat on St. Peter’s Square, but despite the 36 degrees, the Roman Francesco is on his bike: “It’s no problem walking around in Rome in the heat. On the contrary, it’s even nicer.” It’s already too much for another passer-by: “A few degrees less would be better.” It has been hot in the capital for weeks, and now temperatures in many areas of Italy will again reach 40 degrees, according to forecasts.

Water must be rationed

Given the heat, water is especially important. But Italy is suffering from extreme drought, the head of civil protection, Fabrizio Curcio, is very worried: “In some areas it is not impossible that the water – which has to be rationed – is sometimes turned off during the day.” A person in Italy uses an average of 215 liters of water per day, compared to only 125 liters in Europe. This includes irrigation in agriculture, consumption in industry and electricity production.

And the lost water. Because many pipes are leaking, Curcio explains: “We have water pipes that lose up to 70 or 75 percent of water. It’s obvious that you can’t waste 70 percent of a resource. I think that’s really an incentive should bring everyone around the table to talk about infrastructure.”

River and lake levels dangerously low

Spring was already too warm and it rained too little. The rainwater, Curcio calculates, is half the average of the last few years, with snow it’s even 70 percent. That’s why the Po, Italy’s longest river, is drier than it has been for at least 70 years. The levels of all rivers and lakes are dangerously low. Cities and municipalities are tightening their measures. In Milan and Padua, the large fountains have been turned off and private car washing is prohibited.

In Emilia-Romagna in the municipality of Castenaso near Bologna, hairdressers are only allowed to wash their customers’ hair once. The reactions of the customers are different: “My hair gets clean with a wash, it’s short. But it’s often different with long hair, who knows how that’s supposed to work,” emphasized one lady. On the beaches like Cogoleto in Liguria, the showers are turned off, a completely new situation for the lifeguard: “It has never happened that we had to turn off the shower. The guests react well to it. Let’s hope it rains. Maybe at night so we can work during the day.”

Numerous forest and bush fires

Because of the drought and the heat, the forest and bush fires are also increasing, earlier than usual. In the second half of June, the fire brigade counted over 1000 operations – more than at the same time last year. Agriculture is hit hard. In Tuscany alone, 30 percent of the harvests have already been lost – the Coldiretti agricultural association assumes this. The Italian government is working on an emergency plan.

At a press conference, Prime Minister Mario Draghi spoke of the worst water crisis in the last 70 years, for two reasons:

In addition to a plan for the current state of emergency, the government soon wants to address the shortcomings in the infrastructure. Draghi speaks of a big plan for the water. Four billion euros have already been earmarked for this, but now the funds would have to be increased.