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Germany Hit by Record Temperatures as Heatwave Moves East
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Disasters & Emergencies

Germany Hit by Record Temperatures as Heatwave Moves East

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Italy's Po River is experiencing unprecedented low water levels due to a severe heatwave, causing seawater to intrude upstream.
  • Farmers are struggling with irrigation as water sources dwindle, threatening crucial agricultural production like Parmesan cheese.
  • Experts warn that without significant rainfall, the region faces a severe drought within weeks, impacting both agriculture and river ecosystems.

Italy's longest river, the Po, is drying up at an alarming rate, allowing seawater to seep inland and threatening a vital agricultural region. The Po River's flow has collapsed, dropping to less than 300 cubic meters per second from an average of around 1,500 in June, according to the interregional river agency Aipo.

We're left with the water that others are willing to leave us. But we're not second-division farmers!

— Federica VidaliA farmer describes the difficult situation of water scarcity affecting her crops.

Farmers like Federica Vidali are anxiously watching their crops suffer. "We're left with the water that others are willing to leave us. But we're not second-division farmers!" she told AFP, as one of the two canals irrigating her sunflower field was shut down to prevent saltwater contamination. The Po Valley, the heartland of Italy's agro-industrial sector, produces essential goods like the milk for Parmesan cheese. The river's low levels are creating multiplying sandbanks and dangerously shallow depths, making navigation difficult for the few remaining fishermen.

It has never dropped so fast, so early.

— Stefano CalderoniAn official from the Italian irrigation association comments on the unprecedented rate of the Po River's decline.

While the Alpine lakes feeding the Po Valley are still about 60 percent full, the intense heat has caused rapid snowmelt, and farmers are heavily reliant on the remaining water. Damiano Di Simine, an expert with environmental group Legambiente, warned, "We're not in a drought situation yet, but at this rate, there's less than three weeks of water left in reserve." This situation is developing much earlier in the year than the severe drought experienced in 2022.

We're not in a drought situation yet, but at this rate, there's less than three weeks of water left in reserve.

— Damiano Di SimineAn expert from Legambiente warns about the dwindling water reserves in the Po Valley.

Further downstream, near the river's mouth, saltwater has already pushed about 20 kilometers upstream, contaminating farmland. Barriers intended to stop saltwater intrusion are ineffective because the river's flow is too weak. Rodolfo Laurenti, an engineer responsible for irrigation in the delta, stated, "We'd need almost double the current flow for them to work." He called for inter-regional cooperation to manage water resources during this crisis. Clam fishermen are also affected, as the warm lagoon waters promote algae growth that clogs their nets and harms shellfish.

We'd need almost double the current flow for them to work.

— Rodolfo LaurentiAn engineer explains the ineffectiveness of saltwater barriers due to the river's low flow.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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