Because of the persistent drought, Lake Garda in northern Italy has reached its lowest water level in 15 years.
This is only 30 centimeters above the reference water level, "while the average for previous years was 80 to 100 centimeters higher at this time of year," explained Gianluca Ginepro, director of Garda Unico, which promotes the lake.
That's the lowest reading since 2007, when the level dropped to 9.9 centimeters above the reference water level, according to official data.
"It's a situation to keep an eye on, but at the moment there are no problems in terms of using the lake for activities like sailing or windsurfing," Ginepro told AFP.
He assured that tourism in the region is doing very well.
Numerous forest fires in Europe
Ginepro admitted that less water is now being diverted from Lake Garda for agriculture.
In the face of the worst drought in 70 years, the Italian government declared a state of emergency in several regions in the center and north of the country in early July.
In large parts of Europe, the persistent drought has caused not only considerable damage to agriculture but also numerous forest fires.
The environmental organization WWF said on Tuesday that according to its calculations, the number of people in Europe who suffer from sometimes extreme water shortages will increase by around 50 percent by 2050.