The one who hits Po is the worst drought in 70 years and no, you don’t write it so much for. The numbers confirm this. The data available is worrying, but just look at the images to get an idea of the conditions under which watercourses are being reduced. there Desertification is gradually eating up longer and longer stretches and river deep. All of this has very serious consequences for crops, biodiversity and the hydropower sector, even in the short term.
Corriere della Sera has taken on this serious situation with some images that they take again the river bed just before Ferrara. A huge expanse of sand halfway between the towns of Felonica, in the province of Mantua, and Calto, in the province of Rovigo. The causes of this drought can be traced back to temperatures that are even higher than the seasonal average four degrees, practically exhausted by very rare rains and by snow on the Piedmontese and Lombardy Alps. The result? For example the closed part of Pontelagoscuro to its lowest level ever: up to 80% of the average. The rains at the beginning of June were of no use as the soil is still very dry.
Adding to the worsening of the situation is the increase in the salt wedge or the rising sea water in the Po Delta with expected penetration depths of between 15 and 20 kilometers. This is also a very significant threat to groundwater pollution, which can also damage drinking water. The alarm was triggered by Anbi Emilia-Romagna who described it as an invisible phenomenon that can upset the balance of the delta. There is no point in emphasizing the damage done to crops that are in the fertilization phase at this time. The same applies to grain. Marco PiccininiPresident of the fruit growers Confagricoltura Emilia, stressed that the consequences of the water crisis will also have economic consequences.