The Italian peninsula is facing an unusually early wave of heat accompanied by a lack of rainfall, especially in the agricultural plain of the Po, hit by its worst drought for 70 years.

The Council of Ministers approved, on Monday, the establishment of the state of emergency in Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Veneto and in Piedmont until December 31, the government announced in a press release.

The state of emergency aims to grant "extraordinary means and powers" to ensure the implementation of the urgent interventions necessary to guarantee public safety, the repair of damage suffered by public and private property and normal living conditions. Population.

Italy has announced the release of a fund of 36.5 million euros.

The announcement comes a day after at least seven people died after a glacier collapsed in the Italian Alps, "undoubtedly" linked to global warming, according to Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Restrictive measures announced in Verona and Milan

According to the largest agricultural union in the country, Coldiretti, the drought threatens more than 30% of national agricultural production and half of the farms in the Po plain, where Parma ham is produced in particular.

The Po represents the largest reservoir of water on the peninsula, much of which is used by farmers.

Lakes Maggiore and Garda also show lower than normal water levels for this time of year, while further south the level of the Tiber which crosses Rome has also dropped.

In recent days, several municipalities have announced restrictive measures: Verona, a city of a quarter of a million inhabitants, has thus rationed the use of drinking water, while Milan has decided to close its decorative fountains. .

Another consequence of the drought: the production of hydroelectric energy has fallen sharply, while hydroelectric installations, located for the most part in the mountainous massifs of northern Italy, produce nearly 20% of the energy in this country.

With AFP

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