Italy’s Po Valley: Water shortages hit over 100 municipalities

Italy’s Po River Basin Authority (AdbPo) has raised the drought severity level across the Po District to ‘high’. It warns that worsening water scarcity conditions will seriously affect agriculture and drinking water supplies in 100 municipalities in northern Italy.

The decision was taken following a meeting of the Permanent Observatory on Water Uses, coordinated by AdbPo, which monitors hydrological conditions across the country’s largest river basin. The authority said the situation has deteriorated despite recent rainfall. According to AdbPo, more than 100 municipalities in Piedmont and Lombardy are facing critical drinking water supply conditions. In several municipalities, tanker trucks have been used for days to refill reservoirs and maintain domestic water services.

Agricultural demand remains high

The authority said irrigation demand remains significant for a number of crops, particularly rice, which is concentrated in the Po Valley. On 30th July, AdbPo Secretary General Alessandro Delpiano stated that recent summer storms have not resolved the underlying hydrological deficit. “The situation has worsened. Let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that summer storms can solve these deep problems. Despite the rainfall, we have less water in our lakes and rivers compared to 10 days ago, with significant irrigation demands still needed for several crops, starting with rice.” The basin authority reported that water stored in the large pre-alpine lakes has continued to decline as releases have been used to support irrigation across the valley. Over the course of a week, Lake Maggiore fell by about 7% and Lake Como by about 6%, according to AdbPo data.

Record low at Cremona

Hydrometric conditions along the Po have continued to worsen. At the Cremona monitoring station, the river reached 8.59 metres below the zero gauge, setting a new record low and surpassing the previous minimum of 8.58 below zero recorded during the 2022 drought. The authority has also authorised temporary derogations from minimum environmental flows in 20 river basins in northern Italy in an effort to protect agricultural supplies during the current emergency phase. AdbPo attributed the deterioration to a combination of a dry spring, prolonged heat in June and July, and reduced snow reserves in the Alps. The authority said that the accelerated melting of the remaining snowpack has not been sufficient to offset the continuing deficit in river and lake storage. The Po Valley is Italy’s most important agricultural district and one of the country’s main industrial areas, making water availability a critical issue for irrigation, public supply and economic activity. AdbPo has not announced additional emergency restrictions at basin scale, but said hydrological conditions remain under continuous monitoring through the Permanent Observatory on Water Uses.