Despite some rain in the plains and some snow in the Alps, the drought situation in Northern Italy is getting worse. The Po River has touched new historic lows. At the final survey of Pontelagoscuro, the flow rate of the river dropped to touch 338.38 m3/s, i.e. over 100 cubic meters per second (m3/s) less than the historic minimum in April and well below 450 m3/s, considering the limit below which the river is defenseless against the rise of the salt wedge; not only that: in the very dry 2022 these data were recorded on June 4, meaning that the most important Italian watercourse is experiencing an extreme water crisis condition, from upstream to downstream, 40 days ahead of the dramatic last year! The saline ingression is already influencing another agricultural season in the Polesine delta, whose arms are full of sea water, polluting groundwater and groundwater.
58% water missing
Another indicative figure of an emergency, which is on the rise, is that of the water reserves in Lombardy: 58.4% of resources are lacking compared to the historical average and 12.55% compared to 2022. The snow deficit is also growing, stands at -68.8% compared to the average, i.e. almost 10% below the historical minimum and 20% less than the already deficit in 2022. The flow rate of the Adda river is stable on last year’s values, however lower by over 30 cubic meters per second compared to 2017; calano Serio, Oglio and Mincio. This is attested by the weekly report of the ANBI Observatory on Water Resources, which discloses how the March bulletin of the CNR (National Research Council) certifies that 35.3% of irrigated agricultural areas, in the past 24 months old, suffered from severe-extreme drought; moreover, in Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino and Emilia, the combination of “thermal anomaly-pluviometric deficit” has reached its maximum level.
The lakes
Among the large lakes, the Garda lake is still most in crisis, penalized by the abnormal differential between almost zero inflows and outflows (about 38 cubic meters per second) necessary for the balance of the downstream territories; compared to last year, more than half a meter of water is missing from the level of the largest Italian lake. Among the other basins, Maggiore and Lario are declining, while Sebino is growing slightly.
In the Aosta Valley, about 30 centimeters of snow fell on the Grandes Murailles in 2 days, while the flows of the Dora Baltea and the Lys stream decreased.
In Piedmont, the flow rates of all rivers, with the exception of the Stura di Lanzo, are subject to declines.
In Liguria the flows in the Entella, Magra, Argentina and Vara riverbeds remain stable, however the only one to have a level above the monthly average.
In Veneto, the Adige river drops by a good 34 centimeters below 4 meters above hydrometric zero: for the period it is the lowest figure of the decade. The Piave also falls, while the levels of Brenta and Livenza remain unchanged; the Bacchiglione is growing.
Data from the National Association of Consortia
The Emiliano-Romagnolo Canal has reached the level of maximum attention at the Palantone di Bondeno drainage plant, effectively entering the pre-alarm state in the face of an overall water picture, which appears to be critical by a good two months in advance. The snow in Emilia Romagna has almost completely melted; the mountain basins between the Parma and Trebbia rivers (195 mm of rain that fell in 2023 against an average of 365 mm) suffer from an extreme water deficit. The Secchia and Enza riverbed flows are back below historic lows, but the decline of the rivers of Romagna and the Reno is also marked, which so far seemed to face this complex hydrological season better. growing consequences on the local economy and environment. If last year, the drought cost the country system 13 billion, 2023 promises to be worse awaiting the operational start of plans and measures essential to increase resilience to the climate crisis» comments Francesco Vincenzi, President of the National Association of Consortia for the Management and Protection of the Territory and Irrigated Waters (ANBI). In Tuscany, only 17 centimeters of snow remain on Mount Amiata; the flow rates of the Serchio, Sieve and Arno rivers are reduced, while an increase is recorded by the Ombrone. The levels of all the rivers in the Marche region are falling, as are the Tiber and Chiascio in Umbria, where the Nera grows slightly; in the same region, the approximately 38 millimeters of rain that fell did not affect the low levels of Lake Trasimeno, which has been suffering from a very serious water shortage for almost a year.