Venice’s famous canals are extremely shallow, making it difficult and, in some cases, impossible for gondolas, water taxis and ambulances to navigate. Officials in Italy attribute the problem to a combination of factors: lack of rain, high pressure system, full moon and ocean currents.
It’s winter in Italy and, according to the local press, it hasn’t rained for weeks. The fear is of a new drought, which caused the country to declare a state of emergency in July last year. During the last drought, a part of Europe was devastated by lack of rain and fires.
In these images it is possible to observe the low water level in some channels Venice.
“Almost empty canal” Low tide leaves Venice’s canals almost dry pic.twitter.com/wzRFxj4Ywt
— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) February 18, 2023
“Italian rivers and lakes are suffering severe water shortages, with the north of the country taking center stage,” environmental group Legambiente said on Monday. The Po, Italy’s longest river, which flows from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic Sea, has 61% less water than normal at this time of year, the organization added.
Last year’s drought, the worst in 70 years, hit hard in the Po River region, which accounts for a third of the country’s agricultural output.
“We are in a situation of water shortage that has accumulated since the winter of 20202021,” climate expert Massimiliano Pasqui of the Italian scientific research institute CNR told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. According to him, 50 days of rain are needed to “recover 500 millimeters in the northwestern regions”.
The drought is also affecting Lake Garda in northern Italy, which has dropped to record levels, clearing a path to the small island of San Biagio, as shown in this image shared on social media.
💦 The current water level of Lake Garda has revealed the isthmus that connects the mainland to the island of San Biagio in the province of Brescia. It is the first time in 30 years that this level is more than 5060 cm below the seasonal average.#Water #dry #lagogarda #Brescia #Italy #Italy pic.twitter.com/Ck3IHOuses
— Climate & Radar Brazil (@climaeradar) February 16, 2023
According to the European Union Meteorological System, an anticyclone has dominated the weather in western Europe for 15 days, bringing mild temperatures normally seen in late spring. However, the weather should change and the latest forecasts show the arrival of rain and snow in the Alps in the coming days.