Italy's longest river Po dries up, threatening drought in agricultural region
Water levels in the Po River have hit record lows, raising fears of a devastating drought in July that could jeopardize Parmesan cheese production.
Italy's longest river, the Po, is experiencing a critical drop in water levels due to an extreme heatwave. According to the interregional river agency Aipo, the flow has fallen to less than 300 cubic meters per second, compared to an average of around 1,500 in June. Stefano Calderoni of the Italian Irrigation Association (Anbi) noted that the river has never fallen so fast and so early.
Sandbanks are forming, and depth in some places has reduced to barely one meter. Fishermen report that navigation has become difficult, with usual routes blocked by sandbars. Although the Alpine lakes that feed the Po valley are still about 60% full, farmers are intensively pumping water for irrigation as the heat dries out the fields. There was rainfall in winter, but the mountain snow that usually replenishes the lakes has already melted due to climate change.
Damiano Di Simine of the environmental organization Legambiente warned that while there is no official drought yet, at the current rate, water reserves will last less than three weeks. The last drought in the Po valley occurred in late July 2022. Downstream, near the mouth, the situation is severe: seawater has penetrated about 20 kilometers upstream, salinizing agricultural land. Barriers installed in the river to stop seawater only work if the current is strong enough.
Meanwhile, the heatwave has also affected other European countries. Germany's meteorological service recorded 41.3°C on Friday, the highest ever measured in Germany. In the UK, a new June temperature record was set on Friday at 36.9°C in eastern England. June 23-24 were the hottest days on record for the country, and over 60 departments in France remain on red alert.
