Francesco Vincenzi, President of ANBI, the consortium responsible for water resources in the country, stated in a written statement that at least 3.5 million Italians’ access to tap water may be interrupted in the coming months, in line with the data they have.
Vincenzi noted that the water level in the Po River, the country’s largest stream and an important water source, was at record lows.
It was reported in the media that the data that ANBI refers to is based on the information of the National Research Council (CNR) that between 6 percent and 15 percent of the Italian population live in regions subject to severe or extreme drought.
Italy experienced ‘the worst drought in 70 years’ last summer
The country’s important environmental organization Legambiente also announced on February 20 that the drought problem in the country had reached alarming proportions.
It was stated that the water levels in the lakes and rivers in the northern and central parts of Italy are at a troubled level, and the snow rate in the Italian Alps is 53 percent less than the average of the last 10 years.
Although it is not directly related to drought, it was stated that the water level in some canals in the city of Venice, which is famous for its canals, decreased by 50-60 centimeters from place to place and the gondolas could not be floated due to reasons such as decreased precipitation and the withdrawal of the sea.
Last summer, Italy experienced the “most severe drought in the last 70 years”, resulting in a loss of at least 6 billion euros in the agricultural sector.