Italy in water stress, top in Europe for water uptake

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 5 - Italy is top in Europe for the consumption of drinking water with over nine billion cubic metres of water used each year and some 26% of the population is exposed to a strong water stress, also due to the climate crisis and drought, environmental group Legambiente reported Tuesday.
    Addressing the third edition of the natioanl water forum 'A Circular Resource', Legambiente said Italy lags in the sustainable management of water and is, according to the World Health Organization, among the European countries most exposed to a medium-to-high water stress.
    On average, the WHO said, Italy uses between 30% and 35% of its renewable water resources, compared with a European target of not extracting more than 20%. (ANSA).