Northern Italy Faces Severe Drought as Po River Levels Plunge

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Castelvetro Piacentino, Italy : Northern Italy is facing worsening drought conditions, with several major waterways reaching critical levels and authorities warning that restrictions on water use may be necessary if rainfall does not increase.

The Po River Authority said the region remains in the grip of a prolonged dry spell despite light rainfall earlier this week. Water levels in the Po, Italy's longest river, have fallen sharply, with parts of the riverbed near Cremona drying up and sandbanks becoming increasingly visible.

Lake Maggiore, located at the foot of the Alps, is also shrinking rapidly and is now less than half full, while agricultural regions in northern Italy are struggling to decide which crops can be sustained with limited water supplies.

In the Po Delta, saltwater from the Adriatic Sea has pushed further inland, disrupting irrigation in some farming areas. The Veneto region has already declared a state of emergency because of the drought.

Scientists say the extreme heat affecting much of Europe has been intensified by climate change, with several countries recording all-time or monthly temperature records and reports of thousands of excess deaths linked to the heatwave.

Pic Credit: AFP