Italy has declared a state of emergency in several cities due to the climate crisis and drought. For the first time, drinking water is being rationed in various cities during the winter season, and the water shortage has severely impacted rice fields, leading to a significant decrease in production.
According to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Sicily is among the regions hardest hit by the worst drought in two decades. After months of reduced rainfall due to the climate crisis, the region recently declared a state of emergency, and drinking water rationing was implemented in several cities for the first time during the winter. Water levels in a lake on the outskirts of Palermo have drastically fallen.
Dario Cartabellotta, the General Director of the Sicilian Agriculture Department, stated, “It doesn’t rain much, nor normally. With rising temperatures, water evaporates, and reservoirs are depleted,” adding that “the summer here is very hot, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees. That’s why the dams have only 20% of their total water capacity left.”
He also mentioned that climate change is not the sole factor behind the water crisis, but poor maintenance of dams and sediment accumulation also play a major role. Local authorities described the situation as truly serious, warning that hundreds of families might be left without water in the coming months unless a new rationing plan is swiftly implemented.
Water rationing has affected about 100 municipalities in Italy, impacting 850,000 people, with rationing reaching up to 45% in some cases. Massimo Buroano, the operational director of Siciliacque (the regional company responsible for water distribution), said, “In 2017, Sicily experienced a significant water shortage in some areas, which in 2018 saw violent rainfall events, unsustainable phenomena.”
The severe drought has endangered agriculture and devastated rice fields, turning lands into barren ground due to water scarcity. One farmer reported a loss of approximately 150,000 euros in his agricultural operation due to the lack of water on his land.
Across Europe, the drought situation varies. The Pyrénées-Orientales Department in southern France declared a drought “crisis” level, and Italy’s Lake Garda and Venice have seen significant water level drops. Spain, particularly Catalonia and its Sau reservoir, experienced one of its worst droughts in decades. The UK is also facing drought warnings with some regions experiencing the driest conditions in nearly 90 years .
The severe drought in the western Mediterranean has led to low river flows and reduced crop yields, exacerbating the situation from the previous year. Northern Morocco, Algeria, southern Spain, southern France, and northern Italy have experienced high temperatures and low rainfall, contributing to the drought. In Spain, Andalusia’s water reservoirs are at about 25% capacity, highlighting the extensive impact of the drought across the region.
