The European Commission's Copernicus
Emergency Management Service (CEMS) has said in a report that it
sees no sign of relief coming soon for drought-hit northern
Italy.
The severe drought, which has hit the Po River basin especially
hard, is related to a persistent lack of precipitation since
December.
"Drier than normal conditions are forecasted for most of Italy
(and southern Europe in general) for the next three months,"
CEMS said.
"This makes it less probable that abundant precipitation will
bring relief to the current situation, and it rises concerns
about widespread and concurrent impacts".
The drought is already affecting water resources.
Water competition from different sectors is likely to start
sooner than usual, particularly at the beginning of the
irrigation period, CEMS said.
The drought has affected the stored water volume for energy
production in the Italian hydropower system.
Most reservoirs have been below the minimum historical values
(1970-2019) since September 2021, the report said.
Scientists say that more severe and frequent droughts are one of
the results of human-caused climate change.
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