The health ministry said on Monday
that nine out of 27 big Italian cities will be on red alert by
Wednesday as the heat wave that is baking the country and many
other parts of Europe intensifies.
At the moment five cities are on red alert, which means the heat
is so intense it is a threat to the general population, not just
the fragile - Bolzano, Brescia, Florence, Latina and Perugia.
Bologna, Genoa, Rieti and Rome will join them on Wednesday.
The current heat wave is only the latest in a series to have hit
the country this year.
The high temperatures have made worse the severe drought that
Italy is suffering and which has caused massive problems for the
nation's agriculture.
Farmers' association Coldiretti has said that Italy's
agriculture sector has suffered over three billion euros in
damages due to the drought and the heat and crop yields have
been reduced by up to 70% in some cases.
Scientists say that more frequent and more intense heat waves
are among the consequences of climate change caused by human
activity.
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