As Venice's canals begin to dry up, one of the most charming places in the world is beginning to lose its allure. The visuals are shocking and incomprehensible, and they are upsetting the people who love this city.
In this Italian tourist hub where flooding is normally the primary concern, unusually low tides are making it impossible for gondolas, water taxis, and ambulances to navigate some of its famous canals.
Scientists and environmental organisations are concerned that Italy will face another drought after the summer droughts because the Alps have received less than half of their normal snowfall.
Photo Credit: Reuters
The problems in Venice are being blamed on a combination of factors the lack of rain, a high pressure system, a full moon and sea currents.
Photo Credit: Reuters
Italian rivers and lakes are suffering from severe lack of water, the Legambiente environmental group said on Monday, with attention focused on the north of the country.
Photo Credit: Reuters
The Po, Italy's longest river which runs from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic has 61% less water than normal at this time of year, it added in a statement.
Photo Credit: AFP
Last July Italy declared a state of emergency for areas surrounding the Po, which accounts for roughly a third of the country's agricultural production and suffered its worst drought for 70 years.
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"We are in a water deficit situation that has been building up since the winter of 2020-2021," climate expert Massimiliano Pasqui from Italian scientific research institute CNR was quoted as saying by daily Corriere della Sera.
"We need to recover 500 millimetres in the north-western regions: we need 50 days of rain," he added.
Water levels on Lake Garda in northern Italy have fallen to record lows, making it possible to reach the small island of San Biagio on the lake via an exposed pathway.
An anticyclone has been dominating the weather in western Europe for 15 days, bringing mild temperatures more normally seen in late spring.
Latest weather forecasts do however signal the arrival of much-needed precipitation and snow in the Alps in coming days.
(With inputs from agencies)
