China News Service, June 30th, a comprehensive report, recently, in response to the worst drought in decades, all parts of Italy have tried their best.

Among them, there is a unique town.

In the town of Castenasso, saving water starts at the "head" - the mayor has ordered barbers to be banned from rinsing customers' hair twice, and violators will be fined up to 500 euros (about 3,500 yuan).

Data map: A hairdresser works in a barber shop in Milan, Italy.

　　The town of Castellano, located near Bologna, Italy, has a population of 16,000 and 10 barber shops.

　　Faced with the problem of water shortage, the mayor Carlo Guberini made a calculation:

　　Every 1 minute the tap is turned on = 13 liters of water flows out;

　　Wash your hair twice with ≥ 20 liters of water;

　　Washing your hair twice in a day wastes thousands of liters of water!

　　The only Italian mayor to take the measure said that the rule will be in place until late September, and the response has been good so far, "No one protested, everyone understood the rationale for the order, it was not oppressive. "

　　However, the barbers were in trouble.

“It seems absurd, it’s hard not to wash our hair twice,” said one hairdresser. Some shampoo products require two washes, and customers have different hair characteristics, especially if they have dirty hair , once is simply not enough.

　　There is no doubt that water conservation is indeed worth promoting.

But is there really even a fine of 500 euros for "one less hair wash"?

　　The answer is: really.

Because of the current situation in Italy, "really worrying."

A completely dry cornfield is seen in Motara, in the Lomelina region of Italy, on June 27, 2022.

　　Recently, Italy has been hit by heat waves.

Most of Italy has had no rain in recent months.

The rainfall so far in 2022 has reached the lowest value in recent years.

　　The problem is exacerbated by lower-than-usual temperatures and significantly less snowfall in winter, leading to less snowmelt flowing into Italy's longest river, the Po.

　　To alleviate water problems, many Italian towns have implemented water rationing measures, and public decorative fountains in Milan have been closed.

A state of emergency has also been declared in Lombardy and other regions due to drought and water shortages.

　　Meanwhile, Italy's Po River basin is suffering its worst drought in 70 years.

The basin is a vital economic region for Italy and one of the most important agricultural areas in Europe.

Now, the rice fields in the Po Valley have dried up due to lack of irrigation, and the Po River is turning into long sandy fields.

People relax on the bed of the Po river next to the Becca Bridge in Linarolo, near Pavia, Italy, on June 27, 2022.

The lack of rain has turned the basin into a large stretch of sand.

　　The pictures taken show that part of the Po River has completely dried up, and the riverbed has been exposed to sunlight; in some areas, the water level has dropped by more than 2 meters, and even the cargo ship that sank at the bottom of the river during World War II "sees the sun again"...

　　Rain is undoubtedly the most effective way to ease the current situation in Italy.

In order to "beg for rain", the Archbishop of Milan, Mario Delpini, also made a pilgrimage to pray for the "gift of rain".

　　However, on June 29, local time, the announcement issued by the Italian Ministry of Health broke everyone's illusions.

The announcement stated that the high temperature weather in the country will continue. On June 30, the temperature in 22 cities will exceed 35 degrees, reaching the highest level of red high temperature warning.

This means that the drought in Italy will not ease for a while.

　　Why is Italy experiencing such a severe drought?

　　"This is caused by two anomalies - less precipitation, coupled with rising temperatures, which are directly linked to climate change," said Luca Mercali, president of the Italian Meteorological Society.

　　Not only Italy, but many European countries also ushered in extreme weather.

European countries such as Spain and France have experienced high temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius for several days.

Not only that, wildfires have also swept across Spain, Turkey and other regions, and the whole of Europe is in extreme heat.

Data map: In Aigre, Charente, France, an outdoor thermometer showed a local temperature of 42°C.

　　The high temperature has also seriously affected people's lives. The French Gironde government announced that before the end of the high temperature weather, all public activities in outdoor or non-air-conditioned places will be cancelled, and the care for the elderly and the disabled will be strengthened.

　　The World Meteorological Organization said that due to climate change, extreme heat is expected to occur more frequently, earlier and more intensely in the future.

If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, global warming will be even greater, and what is being experienced is only a "harbinger of the future," said Naris, a spokesman for the group.

　　In the face of all kinds of extreme weather, the US "Capitol Hill" website lamented that in most of human history, winter has always been the cruelest season for survival.

But now, summer is turning into "the deadliest season".

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