At a time when Europeans are increasing exchanges of firefighters and canadairs, the concern of the 27 is only increasing following the observation of EU scientists on the lack of precipitation.…

Half of the EU facing drought: Northern Italy lacks drinking water

A woman sits next to the dry bed of the Po River as parts of Italy's longest river dry up due to the worst drought in 70 years, in Turin, Italy July 15, 2022. REUTERS - MASSIMO PINCA

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At a time when Europeans are increasing exchanges of firefighters and canadairs, the concern of the 27 is only increasing following the observation of EU scientists on the lack of precipitation.

Not only is there heat, but there is also drought.

The Joint Research Center of the European Union publishes an alarming report on the drought which would affect half of the EU in varying degrees, which range from "

warning

" to "

alert

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The

Joint Research Center report

concerns the Union and the United Kingdom.

The findings for these 28 countries are overwhelming, reports our correspondent in Brussels,

Pierre Benazet

In the third ten days of June, more than half of the territory is at risk, 46% are at a "

warning level

" and 11% which are squarely at the "

alert level

The first level of warning is a lack of rain: it did not rain enough in central Italy and Campania between June 20 and 30, for example.

The second level of warning is a lack of soil moisture.

And almost all of Europe is affected, in particular Sweden, Poland, Romania, the northern half of Italy and Germany, Portugal or England.

The maximum alert level is “plant stress” following a soil moisture deficit and a vegetation deficit.

And the map of the European Drought Observatory is very striking: from the Iberian Peninsula to the Hungarian puszta via Languedoc and the Po plain, many regions are on alert.

Italy is particularly hard hit in the North.

The Po plain is even, according to the European Commission, “

confronted with the highest level of drought severity in the EU

”.

A state of emergency has even been declared in several regions.

This is the case in Piedmont.

The difficult management of drinking water in Piedmont

In this Italian region, the impact varies from one municipality to another, noted our special

correspondent Pauline Gleize

In Mergozzo, near the homonymous lake, the drought does not really disturb Antonio's daily life, but it worries the octogenarian: “

There is not much water.
It's enough to wash off, but if it continues, we'll have a problem.
We'll wash in the lake like when we were little.
I try to save money and not take my shower every day.
But what can we do?
Are we going to pray in church or do the rain dance?

In the absence of miraculous rain, a tank truck supplies a basin of drinking water a few kilometers away.

At work: Marco Scarsetti.

The driver delivers his load taken from a site of the local water company, near Lake Maggiore: “

We send the water with a pump for a couple of hours to a reservoir up there, 45 meters away.
And from there, it can be used for the houses that you see there.
There is a remote control in the pool, a float, when the water reaches 20-25%, we bring water, but if it's not raining, it's going to be complicated.

In Italy, managing drinking water in Piedmont despite the drought - Report

Pauline Gléize

In some municipalities, the company Acqua Novara.VCO must sometimes turn off the tap at night.

A situation caused by multiple factors, explains Daniele Barbone, the general manager of the company: “

This winter and the two previous ones, it did not snow.
The reserves and glaciers have therefore not regenerated, and to this is added the fact that in this area there are the oldest aqueducts.

On average, 40% of the water injected into the network is lost along the way.

The company plans to invest 150 million euros, in particular to limit waste.

In addition to the increased risk of fires, the European report also points to the prospect of a drastic reduction in agricultural production this summer as well as a drop in hydroelectric production.

Only Austria, Ireland, Scotland, Catalonia and the Netherlands have so far escaped the European drought

►

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Half of the EU facing drought: Northern Italy lacks drinking water

Half of the EU facing drought: Northern Italy lacks drinking water

The difficult management of drinking water in Piedmont

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