The authorities there have now asked the neighboring region of Trentino for five million cubic meters of water. The water will be used for agriculture and will be taken from the Malga Bissina and Malga Boazzo reservoirs in the upper Daone Valley.
According to local media reports, the agreement was described as a done deal by Lombardy Region President Attilio Fontana. However, the Vice President of the Province of Trentino, Mario Tonina, informed that there was still no agreement on the matter. The Italian power grid operator Terna has the last word because the ten million cubic meters of water in the reservoirs serve as a power reserve for the national electricity system.
The northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna is also demanding €32 million from the government for maintenance work on the canals in the Piacenza and Ferrara regions, Emilia Romagna President Stefano Bonaccini said, according to media sources on Wednesday. The region is to receive water from a reservoir from neighboring Liguria.
“Even though there’s no dramatic rationing going on right now, there are ordinances that mayors have put in place to urge citizens not to waste water,” Bonaccini said. Among other things, he referred to an ordinance by the mayor of Castenaso near Bologna, Carlo Gubellini. In order to fight shortages and limit consumption, hairdressers and barbers in Castenaso are not allowed to rinse the same customer’s head twice.
Italy is groaning under a beginning of summer of climatic extremes. Austria’s southern neighbor has been experiencing a historic dry period for months. Italy is affected by remarkably high temperatures. The badly suffering regions are demanding that the government in Rome declare a state of emergency. Measures such as water rationing could then be taken. The government has not yet taken a decision on this.
Source: Nachrichten
