It rains too little and there is no snow:Water is scarce in Italy

The flow of many rivers has been significantly reduced.The lack of snow is dramatic

ROME - There is the red thread of drought connecting thirsty Sicily with Piedmont.

They are above all high temperatures (from Syracuse to Turin and in the Cuneo area they have come close to and sometimes exceeded 20 degrees with the freezing point reaching 3000 meters in the Alps) confirming how the Mediterranean area is affected by the water crisis, which has its epicenter in the Maghreb (in Morocco temperatures are on average 5 degrees higher than normal, turning February into April) and spreads along the countries of Southern Europe:the whole of Italy (with the exception of the North East), southern Spain and France, part of Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Greece up to Crete;those who suffer the most are the Sicilian territories and the Spanish ones of Andalusia, Murcia and Catalonia (source:Edo-European Drought Observatory).

This painting of thermal anomalies (January 2024 was the hottest month ever globally) strongly influences the flow of watercourses, now characterized by a torrential flow, if not even by a fiumara or by an African 'wadi' (bed of a non-perennial watercourse, typical of desert areas):after the comforting post-rain water signals, the rivers of the Peninsula have largely returned to the levels typical of this season. Dramatic too lack of snow, which in January marked -86%.

“This is a fact to pay close attention to, because the constant water excursion weakens the strength of the banks, increasing the need for constant monitoring.Our willingness to support the competent bodies in the maintenance of rivers goes in this sense, especially in urban areas, just as it is important that the fundamental function of the farmer in maintaining the territory has been recognized by law" highlights Francesco Vincenzi, president of the National Association of consortia for the management and protection of land and irrigation water (Anbi).

“Not only that - adds the general director of Anbi, Massimo Gargano– It is essential not to let your guard down hydrogeological risk, distracted by recurring drought warnings.The now well-known unpredictability of weather phenomena can quickly transform a dry riverbed into an unstoppable destructive force.It is necessary not to forget it in urban planning instruments, but above all the passing of the law against the unstoppable consumption of land, which increases the risks for the territory, is extremely urgent."

Among the large lakes of the North, the level of Verbano increases by 10 centimeters, reaching 90.5% full, while Benaco is almost at maximum capacity (99.3%);the Lario drops slightly to 52.9% ed Sebino (the only one below average) remains around 30%.

In Valle d'Aosta, after last week's snowfalls, the white blanket is thinning:at high altitudes, the decline is more than 10 centimeters, while at low altitudes the cover is decidedly thin.The flow rate is reduced Dora Baltea, also because rainfall in the region has so far been low.
Said of the climatic anomaly in Piedmont, the flow rates of all the rivers in the region are consequently reduced, where the Tanaro it has just 15% of the water it had 7 days ago and the flow rate is halved compared to the average for the period;also the flows of Stura di Lanzo And Toce are distinguished negatively:-58% and -38% respectively in one week.

In Lombardy, however, the river's favorable period continues Adda, which maintains a flow rate above 150 cubic meters per second and largely higher than what has been recorded in recent years.The condition of regional water reserves is also improving, thanks above all to the increase in snow on the ground (+46%), reducing the deficit on the historical average to 8.1% and even recording +94% compared to 2023.

Fluctuating trend for river flows in some Veneto basins:The Brenta drops from 154 mc/s to 48 mc/s, while the Bacchiglione loses 80% of water in the riverbed in a week and returns below average (-33%). In the mountains snow is locally abundant only above 2200 metres.

In Emilia-Romagna the front of the territories is widening, where rain is scarce:the mountain basins of Romagna, the plains north and south of the Reno river and now also the plain between Panaro and Enza they register cumulatively below average;riverbeds, which only a few days ago were rich in water, now appear almost dry:if the Bucket records 83% less and the Reno has about half of the minimum monthly flows, however all the Apennine rivers suffer: Wise (6.7% flow rate compared to the monthly average), Enza, Taro And Thresher.
The Po river, after last week's exploit, returns to its now usual flow measurements, below average everywhere:after the flood peaks of 7 days ago, the flow rates have practically more than halved (in San Sebastiano from 193 m3/s to 75 m3/s;in Piacenza from 1663 m3/s to 612 m3/s;in Boretto from mc/s 1918 to mc/s 912).

A clear contraction of hydrometric levels is also recorded in Liguria, where Entella, Vara And Thin they drop by about half a meter.More evident is the contraction of river flows in central Italy with the mountain tops still totally barren.

In Tuscany, the Arno marks a worrying -64% on the average;flow more than halved also in Serchio and Sieve, while the Ombrone returns to below 10 cubic meters per second (the average is around 36 m3/s).

In the Marche, river levels remain very low and lower than the last five years;however, the volumes filled in the jars continue to grow dams (+2 million cubic metres), representing a certainty for the next spring season.

In Abruzzo the river level drops Sangro , which now stands at last year's values, unlike of Orta which, compared to 2023, is approximately 40 centimeters lower. On the Apennines there is 10 centimeters of snow in Campo Imperatore alone.

In Lazio the flow of the river is increasing Tiber, while those of Aniene, Fiora and Liri.In Rome, 2024 has so far been stingy with rainfall: only 30 millimeters since the beginning of the year.

Brusca is the reduction of levels in the rivers of Campania: Volturno, -cm.120; Garigliano, -cm.160.
In Basilicata there has been a significant increase in water stored in artificial basins:15 and a half million cubic meters more; however, the deficit compared to last year remains over 150 million.

Finally, in Puglia, the volume of water retained in the Capitanata reservoirs grew by 1 million and 330,000 cubic metres, reaching 47% of the filling capacity, but remaining lower than last year by over 124 million cubic meters. The region is suffering greatly from the lack of winter precipitation, especially in the southern territories of the Salento Peninsula:in fact, from the 60 millimeters of rain that fell in January in the province of Foggia, it dropped to mm.50 on the Bari area, about 40 millimeters on the Itria Valley, mm.23 on the lower Salento up to 12 millimeters on Leuca, the southernmost municipality in the 'Heel of Italy'.