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| Sat, 9th Jul 2022 10:17:00 |
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Italians wait for rain where longest river runs dry |
On a farm in northern Italy not far from the Adriatic Sea, Giampaolo Bassi's crops are in trouble.
"Salty water is killing the plants because they can't stand such a high concentration," the 32-year-old says.
He pulls up one of the more sickly looking plants and, where you should see peanuts dangling from the root, there's nothing.
Giampaolo has had problems with salt in the water before, but not like this.
It's all linked to the region's worst drought in 70 years - the result of a lack of rain and snow since winter and higher temperatures.
The River Po, along with its tributaries, is a lifeline for communities across northern Italy.
It runs for 650km (400 miles), from the south-western Alps down to the Adriatic Sea. But annual satellite images show expanding patches of dried-up riverbed.
A weaker river, say experts, is leading to more salty seawater penetrating further inland.
"Normally you will see that the seawater enters the mouth of the river for a few kilometres," says Paolo Ciavola, professor of Coastal Dynamics at the University of Ferrara.
"At the moment, official data from the Po Basin Authority shows an ingression of up to 30km from the mouth."
The freshwater river normally wins in pushing out to sea, but, says the professor: "Right now the river is losing.
"That water is used for irrigation and therefore you can imagine the farmers might suffer huge economic damage from this."
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