Po Valley drought alert raised to high in northern Italy

Italian authorities raised the drought alert in the Po Valley to “high” on Thursday as worsening conditions and unfavourable forecasts increased pressure on northern Italy’s water supplies.

The Po River Authority said more than 100 municipalities in Piedmont and Lombardy are already facing water supply difficulties, with some using tanker trucks to fill drinking water reservoirs.

The authority said Lake Maggiore and Lake Como fell by 7 percent and 6 percent respectively in a week after helping irrigate fields in the dried-up valley with water stored during winter.

A dry spring was followed by record heat in June and July that melted snow reserves. Twenty river basins in northern Italy have been granted permission to bypass minimum river flows to avoid a drought like the one in 2022.

Po River Authority Secretary General Alessandro Delpiano said recent rain had not reversed the decline in lakes and rivers. “Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that summer storms can solve deep-rooted problems,” he said.