Rome-Venice has long been known for its constant floods, but now it faces the opposite problem: a long stretch of atypical low tide has left the ancient city with low water levels and dry canals, rendering many of its famous waterways unnavigable for the famous gondolas are and other boats navigating its waterways.
While Venice’s water problems are being attributed to a high-pressure weather system that has lingered over western Europe for weeks, they come as environmental groups warn that the Alps have received less than half their normal snowfall this winter, raising concerns that Italy may face another summer could be from dry rivers.
Pictures from the lagoon city show some canals reduced to muddy pits, with awed onlookers perched atop bridges.
A dry canal is seen at low tide in Venice, Italy, February 16, 2023. Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto/Getty
Italian environmental association Legambiente sounded the alarm earlier this week, warning that there is currently about 53% less snow in the Italian Alps than the average for the last 10 years. That’s worrying, as snow is an important source of water in the spring and summer when it melts and flows downstream to ensure water supplies during the months when it’s most needed.
Alpine snow is Italy’s most important water reserve. Meltwater supplies the Po River Basin, which runs through the most populous and agriculturally productive region of Italy.
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The Po, Italy’s longest river, flows from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic Sea, but it currently contains 61% less water than normal at this time of year, Legambiente added.
According to the group, the snow deficit nationwide is around 45%.
Last July, Italy suffered its worst drought in 70 years and declared a state of emergency for the areas around the Po.
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For more than two weeks, an anticyclonic weather system has brought mild temperatures more typical of late spring than mid-February across western Europe.
Venice is known for its regular floods, called “aqua alta” or high tides, caused by the rising and falling tides.
Extreme flooding can completely submerge shops, houses, and ground-floor pathways, making it impossible to walk through the city’s alleyways. The flooding can even cause water levels to rise too high for boats to pass under bridges.
But the same tide changes can also create “acqua bassa” or low tide, as they have now. Environmental scientists warn that climate change has exacerbated both high and low water events.
Extreme low water can also cause serious damage. The city is supported by millions of wooden and brick poles that, as long as they remain submerged in water, are protected from the corrosive power of oxygen.
Extreme low water events remove this protection and can lead to severe structural damage.
Some much needed rainfall is forecast for the next week in Venice and the surrounding area.
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