Venice’s canals begin to dry up as low tide and lack of rain hit

Venice’s canals almost dry up at low tide and lack of rain – video Italy

Gondolas are unable to navigate some of its famous canals as Italy faces another drought

Portal

Tue 21 Feb 2023 03:01 GMT

Weeks of dry winter weather have raised concerns that Italy could face another drought after last summer’s emergency as the Alps have received less than half their normal snowfall, according to scientists and environmental groups.

The warning comes as Venice, where flooding is usually the main concern, faces abnormally low tides that make gondolas, water taxis and ambulances impossible to navigate some of its famous canals.

Italy faces another year of severe drought after little rain or snow in the winter

Venice’s problems are attributed to a combination of factors – the lack of rain, a high pressure system, a full moon and ocean currents.

Tourists cross a bridge over a noticeably empty canal at low tide in Venice, Italy. Photo: Manuel Silvestri/Portal

Italian rivers and lakes are suffering from severe water shortages, environmental group Legambiente said on Monday, looking to the north of the country.

The Po, Italy’s longest river, which flows from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic Sea, has 61% less water than normal this time of year, he added in a statement.

In July last year, Italy suffered its worst drought in 70 years and declared a state of emergency in the areas around the Po River, which account for about a third of the country’s agricultural output.

“We are in a water shortage that has been building up since the winter of 2020-2021,” climate expert Massimiliano Pasqui of the Italian scientific research institute CNR was quoted as saying by the daily Corriere della Sera.

“We need to regenerate 500mm in the northwestern regions: we need 50 days of rain,” he said.

The unusually low tides make it impossible for gondolas, water taxis, and ambulances to navigate some of Venice’s canals. Photo: Manuel Silvestri/Portal

The water level of Lake Garda in northern Italy has dropped to record lows, allowing access to the small island of San Biagio in the lake via an exposed path.

An anticyclone has been dominating the weather in western Europe for the past 15 days, bringing mild temperatures normally seen in late spring.

However, latest weather forecasts signal the arrival of much-needed precipitation and snow in the Alps in the coming days.

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