There is a very concerning drought happening in Italy. In the Po Valley, a European strong agricultural area. There has been no rain since December and it is becoming a danger to the needs of both people and agriculture People are being fined from misusing water.
and there is a water shortage in the East of Scotland where I am living. I haven't heard of that before never mind at this time of the year.
The drought is caused by higher-than-usual temperatures, scant rainfall and much less snow during the winter, particularly in the southern Alps, which in turn contributed to lower snowmelt flowing into the Po.
The situation is so acute that leaders of Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna said on Thursday they would ask for a state of emergency to be declared in their regions. Some northern towns require water supplies to be delivered by trucks, and calls have been made for 125 towns to ration supplies of drinking water to restore reservoir levels.
The river’s depth currently measures up to 2.7 metres below the zero gauge, well below the average for June, while its flow rate into the sea has slowed to 300 cubic meters a second – a fifth of the average for this time of year.
The Po valley experienced droughts in 2007, 2012 and 2017, and scientists say their growing prevalence is a further indication of the climate crisis.
“This drought is unique in history due to the combination of two anomalies – the lack of rain, on top of the elevated temperature, which is directly linked to climate change,” said Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological
Mercalli, who lives in a mountain town in Piedmont, added: “It’s as if it’s the end of July in the Alps, water is running out as little snow remains and in a week’s time there will be no more reserves. We recently measured the snow level at a 3,000-metre altitude – usually in June there are two metres but this year not only is there no snow but flowers are already blooming.
“The situation is only going to get worse as the next few months are forecast to be hot and dry.”
The Po valley is a crucial economic area for Italy, enabling industrial hubs such as Turin, Milan and Brescia, along with a vast variety of sectors, to thrive, and is one of the most important agricultural zones in Europe.
Society.
‘We worry about it disappearing’: alarm grows over Italy’s drought-hit Po River
Drought blighting country’s longest waterway continues as economic hub battles climate crisis
www.theguardian.com
Italians face fines for wasting water as supplies rationed amid drought
Mayors in northern regions turn off taps as country suffers one of its driest winters in 65 years
www.theguardian.com
and there is a water shortage in the East of Scotland where I am living. I haven't heard of that before never mind at this time of the year.
Business could be asked to use less water, as scarcity risk reaches alert level in east of Scotland
The risk of water scarcity is rising, with several areas in East Scotland reaching ‘alert level’, the country’s leading environment body has warned.
www.scotsman.com
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