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Pope shuts off Vatican fountains amid drought

The Vatican has started shutting off its fountains amid a prolonged drought in many parts of Italy. The drought hit…

Pope shuts off Vatican fountains amid drought

(Photo: AFP)

The Vatican has started shutting off its fountains amid a prolonged drought in many parts of Italy.

The drought hit two-thirds of farmland and cost Italian agriculture $2.3 billion. There were about 100 fountains in the Vatican, including two Baroque masterpieces, and all will be switched off, BBC reported on Tuesday.

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Vatican Radio said the move was in line with Pope Francis' teachings on the environment. The Pope laid out his ecological fears in a 2015 encyclical, which denounced wasteful practices and highlighted the importance of clean drinking water.

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The drought had affected many other areas of Italy. A state of emergency was earlier declared in two northern provinces. In southern Italy, hundreds of people were evacuated this month as firefighters battled wildfires.
 

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