Italy is experiencing its driest winter in years, with significant impacts on food security. For the third consecutive year, the country is facing severe drought conditions that threaten agricultural activities and food security from north to south. The groundwater levels across the Veneto region in the north are critically low, with January rainfall significantly below the historical average of 60mm.
In central Umbria, Lake Trasimeno’s water level is one meter below average, which is nearly 20% of its maximum depth of only six meters, marking the worst record in the past fifty years. The Land Reclamation Consortium in Umbria has raised the alarm and urged farmers to reconsider their agricultural practices in light of the water scarcity. Efforts are underway to optimize irrigation systems to minimize losses and prevent waste, and Italy may need to ration water use to address the crisis.
In the far south, in Sicily, January was the fifth consecutive month with below-average rainfall for the period, with a deficit of about 200 milliliters of water. In December 2023 alone, the rainfall deficit exceeded 80% between the provinces of Enna and Catania.
Throughout the island, the second half of 2023 was the driest in over a century. Farmers’ associations plan to request central and regional governments to declare a state of natural emergency.
Ski resorts are also facing a crisis in many areas, especially in the Apennine mountains, where heavy snowfall is still expected during the winter season.
Europe is currently grappling with severe drought conditions that are impacting agriculture, water levels, and even logistics, such as barge operations on the Rhine River in Germany. The drought has led to record low water levels in Italy’s Lake Garda and has prompted warnings about harvests across the region. Additionally, drought conditions are exacerbating wildfires and affecting water-dependent industries, including nuclear power plants in France that require river water for cooling.
