The Po River basin has officially entered the “high” water stress phase. This decision reflects a situation that has now gone well beyond the preventive alert stage: in vast areas of the Po Valley, water availability is no longer sufficient to ensure normal conditions, and the first consequences are already affecting the drinking water supply. According to a statementfrom the Po River Basin Authority (AdbPo), more than 100 municipalities in Piedmont and Lombardy are experiencing critical conditions, to the extent that in several cases water is already being delivered by tanker trucks to keep the water systems operational.
The crisis is spreading
The decision was made unanimously by the Permanent Observatory on Water Use, which brings together ministries, regions, research institutes, water service providers, and industry associations. In the coming days, the Authority will submit a report to the National Department of Civil Protection on the current state of water availability and the main critical issues, with particular attention to water supplies for citizens.
In the meantime, many municipalities have already issued ordinances to limit waste and curb consumption. These measures, however, are merely a stopgap solution to a structural problem.
Thunderstorms aren’t enough
One of the most significant issues that emerged from the Observatory’s latest meeting concerns the impact of the rainfall over the past few weeks. Locally heavy rains have not altered the overall picture.
“The situation has worsened; let’s not delude ourselves that summer thunderstorms can be the solution to deep-rooted problems. Compared to ten days ago, despite the rainfall, we actually have less water in the lakes and less water in the rivers, with irrigation needs still significant for various crops, starting with rice,” explained ADBPO Secretary General Alessandro Delpiano.
The model projections, the Basin Authority adds, do not indicate any significant improvements in the coming weeks. On the contrary, the reduction in the flow rates of the Po River and its tributaries could lead to a further advance of the saltwater wedge into the Delta, potentially affecting even the Ponte Molo water treatment plant in the Rovigo area.
A Struggling Region
The deterioration affects the entire Po Valley region, albeit to varying degrees. In Piedmont, the rice sector remains a cause for concern, while the challenges facing permanent pastures are increasing. In Lombardy, water resources are severely depleted, with the Ticino river system now in particularly critical condition. Veneto is also experiencing a marked deterioration, while in Emilia-Romagna, reserves in some reservoirs are falling rapidly, although other infrastructure still provides a safety margin.
Even the large regulated lakes are gradually losing water, with volume losses over the past week confirming a well-established trend. Meanwhile, on the Po River, flow rates remain below historical averages in several sections of the main channel.
The most striking image of the emergency is that of water tankers becoming part of the day-to-day management of the water service. This is a sign that the drought has now gone beyond the scope of an agricultural emergency to become an issue that directly affects the security of water supplies for communities. And when a water-rich region like the Po River basin must resort to extraordinary measures to guarantee an essential resource, it means the problem can no longer be considered an isolated incident, but rather a structural one.
