The Council of Ministers has declared a state of emergency for five Italian regions: Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont. Almost the entire north of Italy has in fact been hit for months by an exceptional drought which, combined with the anomalous (and at times extreme) heat that has been relentless for weeks, is making the overall situation unsustainable.

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Stato di emergenza in 5 regioni. in serata il via libera del Consiglio dei ministri. Successivamente il decreto. Slitta la riunione del Cdm, in attesa del rientro di Draghi a Roma da Canazei #ANSA
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♥ 25💬 5 4 lug 2022 · Apri su X →

Around 35 million euros allocated to regions under a state of emergency

It is above all agriculture that is suffering the worst consequences. According to Coldiretti, these already amount to 3 billion euros: "We have water tankers and rationing, the Po drier than it is at Ferragosto, lakes emptied and scorched fields where harvests are burning on waterless land. And costs are exploding for emergency irrigation to save parched seedlings and for the purchase of feed for animals as fodder is burned up by the heat. This is the latest dramatic picture of a 2022 marked so far by rainfall that has practically halved and devastated agricultural production."

The government's decision provides for the allocation of funds to the five regions under a state of emergency: according to the ANSA news agency, citing ministerial sources, "10.9 million is earmarked for Emilia Romagna, 4.2 million for Friuli Venezia Giulia, 9 million for Lombardy, 7.6 million for Piedmont and 4.8 million for Veneto."

The Tiber also in a critical situation due to drought

The minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomy, Mariastella Gelmini, stressed that the total amounts to around 35 million, but assured that "there will be further measures and we are focused on making use of the PNRR resources dedicated to this issue."

Agenzia ANSA ✓ @Agenzia_Ansa

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Anche il Tevere soffre per la siccità. I Radicali Italiani lanciano l'allarme: "A Roma, fino a oggi, sono caduti 140 mm di pioggia su una media di 430 mm: sono cifre da paesi come Algeria e Tunisia". #ANSA
ansa.it/sito/notizie/c…

♥ 14💬 4 1 lug 2022 · Apri su X →

Drought is also taking its toll on other parts of Italy. The river Tiber, for example, is in a dire state: "The situation," said Erasmo D'Angelis, secretary general of the Tiber River Basin Authority, "is very serious. In places the river looks almost marshy, with still water; it has the minimum vital flow allowed by the Corbara dam and in some stretches it runs very low, as much as one and a half metres below average levels." And we are only at the start of summer.