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The flow rates are still low. As a result, seawater from the Adriatic Sea is penetrating more and more into the estuary. This mixes the fresh and salt water and dries up the terrain around the river. The salt wedge – the advance of the sea into the delta – is already over 30 kilometers – a record value.
The extreme drought has serious consequences for agriculture. The Farmers’ Union Coldiretti warned that because of this drought, 30 percent of agricultural production in the Po Valley and half of livestock are threatened. Declines were recorded primarily for corn and soybeans.
Human-induced global warming is making droughts more frequent and more extreme. This is now a scientific consensus, so it is no longer doubted by reputable researchers.
The fields of the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the Emilia-Romagna region, have been facing a locust invasion for days. The valleys of the Bidente and Savio rivers have been particularly hard hit, with farmers reporting damage to wheat and vegetables. The insects are voracious, plundering everything from crops to small private vegetable gardens.
The five measuring stations along the 652-kilometer-long river remain at the level of a “severe drought”. In the Lombard city of Cremona, the level is 8.20 meters below the average of recent years at this time of year. Rainfall brought some relief to the tributaries. However, this increase in flow rate has not solved the problem of the extremely high deficit, authorities warned.
Tiber “in some places just a pond”
Not only the river Po is affected by the drought. The level of the river Tiber, which crosses Rome, has also fallen sharply. “In some places the Tiber is just a pond,” lamented the Roman daily La Repubblica. Bicycles, garbage and e-scooters emerge from the river. Tourist ferries can no longer operate because of the shallow water. Fish are threatened.
According to dpa, Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced measures to be taken by Rome on Thursday evening because of the drought. From Monday the government will take care of emergency plans in the affected parts of the country. The regions, especially in the north, have been demanding this for weeks. Draghi also pointed out structural problems: the country’s water reservoirs and pipes are in such a dilapidated condition that 30 percent of the water is lost in them.
Source: Nachrichten
