Italy has announced a state of emergency in five northern regions as it is suffering its worst drought in 70 years. A major part of Italy’s largest river- “PO” has been drying up because of dry autumn, early summer and meagre snow and rainfall. 

Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s office announced the state of emergency due to the severe drought that has impacted five northern regions. 

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He also said “For the Po basin, this is the most serious water crisis of the last 70 years, according to analysis by the Po River District Basin Authority,”

The government announced on Monday that the cabinet had approved a state of emergency in Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto until December 31. A 36.5 million euro ($39.5 million) fund had also been set aside to assist those affected.

“The state of emergency is aimed at managing the current situation with extraordinary means and powers, relief and assistance to the affected population,” the govt. also said. 

The 650-kilometer-long Po River in Italy travels from the snow-capped Alps in the northwest to the Po Delta in the east before merging into the Adriatic Sea. River Po is Italy’s longest waterway which serves at least 30 percent of the country’s agriculture.

The Po River and surrounding drainage basins are important regions for agriculture and livestock. More than half the national stock of cattle, 3.1 million animals, and 65% of the national stock of pigs, or 6 million animals, live in the region.

Italy’s hydroelectric reservoir levels are at record lows due to the diminishing water supply. Hydroelectric power production, which typically meets 15% of the country’s needs, is down 50% this year compared to 2021.

According to the research experts, forage, barley, and grain crops will be down 30 percent to 40 percent this year, causing livestock to be slaughtered for meat earlier than expected. It will exacerbate the rise in consumer food prices and farmer production costs. Production of hazelnuts and wine may also be affected.

Drinking water cannot be used for watering vegetable patches, gardens, and sports fields, washing cars, filling swimming pools, or any other activity that is not strictly necessary for human needs in northern Italy’s Verona and Pisa. These measures will be in effect until August 31.

The situation is an outcome of climate change and global warming. It has barely rained in Italy for about 4 months and the country is reeling under an early heatwave. The high temperatures accompanied by low rainfall and less snow is causing more problems to the population of Italy.  

However, the problems first surface in the mountains, where snowfall has fallen at its lowest level in 20 years and is currently 50% below seasonal average. The Alps’ glaciers, which serve as reservoirs for the river, are also shrinking year by year. Permafrost is melting and crumbling chunks of rock on Monte Viso, a mountain near the French border where the Po River originates. This clearly indicates that temperatures are rising as a result of global warming.

Not only Italy, most countries in Europe are reeling with intense effects of climate change. In France, some 18 million people were affected by  heat waves affecting about a third of the country in June 2022. Britain recorded its hottest day of the year so far in the month of June 2022, with the temperature reaching 32.4C Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) at Heathrow Airport near London just after midday. Germany too is fighting with several wildfires south of its capital Berlin. 

In India as well, the country reported around 280 heat wave days from March 11 to May 18, the highest in 12 years across 16 states in 2022.

The cause of the intense heat waves around the world is accredited to the reduced and dry winter, dry autumns and missing of spring season.