The onset of the current heat wave strikes a peninsula that has been dry for many months due to a drought, and various localities, even those that typically do not suffer any emergency, face a water crisis.
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| [Heatwave in Europe 2022 Map/Windy] |
According to what we had previously stated, the drought was already alarming in the early spring. Now, as the climate anomaly is becoming more and more apparent with record temperatures being recorded in May, the lack of drinking water could give rise to rationing in areas that are typically free from these summer problems.
If we are heading towards a state of regional water crisis in Lombardy, the nightmare of drinking water rationing is already a reality in Lazio, where the almost complete lack of rainfall is becoming increasingly alarming: the water levels in the Tiber and Liri rivers, as well as in the lakes of Bracciano and Nemi, have dropped significantly. The ANBI Observatory on Water Resources shared this information with the community. In order to prevent disruptions in the water supply, the manager of Acea Ato2 turned to the Region to ask for permission to increase the amount of water that is withdrawn from the source of Pertuso, which is one of the sources that feeds into the Aniene river. whose already precarious condition (60 percent on the average from 1953-1974) can only get worse in the coming years. One of the regions that is most severely impacted by water scarcity is the Alban Hills.
According to Francesco Vincenzi, President of the National Association of Management Consortia and the Protection of the Territory and Irrigation Waters, "If the persistent drought conditions in Northern Italy made it possible to agree on actions to combat water criticalities, the sudden worsening of the situation in Central Italy requires emergency interventions." Vincenzi made these comments in response to a question regarding whether or not it was possible to reach an agreement on actions to combat water criticalities due to the conditions in Northern Italy (ANBI).
"Now is the time to take action to stop the situation from getting worse, but as soon as possible after that, it will be necessary to begin the infrastructural interventions that have already been funded and are in an advanced procedural process. These interventions will be able to increase the resilience of the territories, as Massimo Gargano, the Director General of ANBI, urges. At the same time, political choices are required in order to initiate new works targeted at boosting a country's water reserves. This is especially true in instances when there are mounting indications of water scarcity ".
The first stop on our journey across Italy is in Northern Italy, where the level of most of the main basins is falling (only the Lario is holding steady) and Lake Maggiore is getting dangerously near to reaching a new record low for the first time since 1946. The flows of the rivers in the Valle d'Aosta and the Po, which, in Cremona, are in critical red conditions, and which, in Pontelagoscuro, record levels equivalent to those of the most difficult days of the extremely dry summer of 2017, respectively.
The Piedmontese rivers are decreasing in volume, with the exception of the Pesio and the Sesia; in the Baraggia dams (Ravasanella, Ostola, and Ingagna), there is a shortfall of approximately 4 million cubic meters of water in comparison to the average, and these dams contain 63.24 percent of the total volume of water that is drinkable.
In Lombardy, in spite of the rains that fell primarily in the northern part of the region (recorded up to 70 millimeters), water reserves remain largely in deficit (-51.4 percent on the average and -60 percent on 2021), as do nival ones (-77 percent on average); the river Adda, although it is slightly recovering, is confirmed to be at the lowest levels of the recent decade.
A situation very similar to this one has been recorded in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Uneven rains have brought a light refreshment to the bloodless watercourses, but they have not prevented the hydroclimatic balance of some areas from falling below historical lows. These areas include the mountain basins from Parma to Trebbia, where precipitation is also below the negative record; the plain basins from Parma to Tidone; and the lowland basins north of the mouth of (36 mm compared to 70 mm 12 months ago). The condition at the Piacenza dams (Molato and Mignano) is likewise generally inadequate. The Piacenza dams' basins, which have a combined capacity of little over 10 million cubic meters, registered the poorest performance over the course of the previous five years (over 7 million cubic meters less than the last year).
The water level of the Piave has also decreased, while the water conditions of the Livenza, Bacchiglione, and Brenta have slightly improved. Finally, in the region of Veneto, the water level of the Adige continues to decline, just as it has for all of the great rivers of the North. The Adige has reached its lowest level in the past decade.
The current "Arno torrent" has a flow rate that is equivalent to 27 percent of the usual flow rate, while the Ombrone is in tremendous suffering, transporting just 1.56 cubic meters per second. The status of the rivers in Tuscany is likewise grave.
Even in Abruzzo, where rainfall shortfalls of over 90 percent have been recorded in recent months, there is a persistent lack of precipitation (Penne: -93.3 percent ).
In spite of the rains, which did, however, come down with varying degrees of ferocity depending on the region, the rivers of the Marche are returning to the levels they were at in 2021 with a sudden drop in the volumes of water retained in the basins and are now only higher than those that were scant the previous year.
The Garigliano river in Campania is still at its lowest levels in recent years, and the volumes of the Cilento and Lake Conza basins are declining as well; as a result, the threat of drought is not over in that region.
Due to the high temperatures, the retained volumes in the reservoirs of Basilicata and Puglia significantly decreased, falling by more than 7 million and over 8 million cubic meters respectively. This was documented as a direct result of the high temperatures.
In spite of the rains, which did, however, come down with varying degrees of ferocity depending on the region, the rivers of the Marche are returning to the levels they were at in 2021 with a sudden drop in the volumes of water retained in the basins and are now only higher than those that were scant the previous year.
The Garigliano river in Campania is still at its lowest levels in recent years, and the volumes of the Cilento and Lake Conza basins are declining as well; as a result, the threat of drought is not over in that region.
Due to the high temperatures, the retained volumes in the reservoirs of Basilicata and Puglia significantly decreased, falling by more than 7 million and over 8 million cubic meters respectively. This was documented as a direct result of the high temperatures.