Drought: Musumeci hopeful water rationing can be averted

(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 19 - Civil Protection and Sea Minister Nello Musumeci has said he is hopeful widespread water rationing will not be necessary this summer to cope with the severe drought Italy is enduring, especially in northern regions.
    "While rationing is a competence of the regions and local authorities, this summer the risk of rationing may well be averted," Musumeci told Sunday's edition of daily newspaper Il Messaggero.
    "Obviously, it depends on the rainfall of the coming weeks.
    "We are especially monitoring Piedmont and Lombardy, where a lack of snowfall (in the winter) is having an impact and agriculture is in trouble".
    He pointed out that the government was setting up a task-force for the drought emergency to develop a medium-long term plan.
    He said the government was aiming to invest in water desalinators and purifiers.
    "We are looking at the Israeli model in order to reduce water, not using drinking water for irrigation, for example," he said.
    Scientists say that extreme weather events like heat waves, supercharged storms, flooding and droughts are becoming more frequent and more intense because of climate change caused by human greenhouse-gas emissions (ANSA).