Gondolas are stranded in Venice as Italy faces another drought

News

by Yaron Steinbuch

February 21, 2023 | 1:23 p.m

Venice tourists may have to cancel plans for a romantic gondola ride – the famous water town is in a drought.

The famous rowing boats were left stranded after a winter of little rain and snow led to an unusually low water level in the northeastern canal-fringed city.

Fears have also mounted that Italy could suffer another drought after last summer’s emergency, according to the outlet, which cited scientists and environmental groups.

In addition to a lack of precipitation, the arid conditions in Venice are blamed on a high pressure system, full moon, low tides and unfavorable ocean currents.

As a result, gondolas and water buses known as vaporetos were left high and dry.

video Posted by the local team Stranded boats appear on dry canals in the city where flooding is usually the main concern.

Environmental group Legambiente said on Monday that rivers across Italy have been affected by severe water shortages — including the Po, the country’s longest, which has 61% less water than normal for this time of year, Reuters reported.

“We are in a state of water deficit that has been building up since the winter of 2020-2021,” climate expert Massimiliano Pascoe of the Italian National Research Council told Corriere della Sera.

“We need to get 500mm back [20 inches] in the northwest regions. We need 50 days of rain.”

In northern Italy, water levels also fell to record levels, making it possible to reach the small island of San Biagio on the lake using an open path.

“Nothing has changed since 2022,” said Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society, he told the Guardian.

“We are still in short supply…let’s wait for spring, which is usually the wettest period in the Po Valley. There is a good possibility that the rains in April and May can make up – it’s the last hope,” he said.

“If we haven’t had spring rain for two years in a row, this would be the first time this has ever happened,” Mercalli added.

The situation was more serious in Piedmont and Lombardy, said Alessandro Prati, head of the Po basin authority, while in Trentino it was affecting hydropower production.

“If you don’t have water, you can’t produce energy, so that’s another problem,” Bratty told the Guardian. “It’s critical because it didn’t snow or rain during this period and the forecast says it will stay that way.”