Italy’s northern Piedmont region plans to ask Switzerland’s Ticino canton to increase water supplies as worsening drought puts pressure on agriculture and drinking water resources, Keystone-SDA reported on Tuesday.
“We cannot wait a minute longer,” Piedmont regional President Alberto Cirio said after convening a round-table meeting on the water crisis on Monday.
Around 100 municipalities have already introduced measures to control drinking water consumption, while water tankers are being deployed in some mountain areas, according to the report.
Piedmont also plans to seek increased water supplies for agricultural use from the neighboring Aosta Valley region, the report added.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Ticino authorities had not received an official request from Piedmont, a cantonal government spokesperson told Keystone-SDA.
Rainfall in the Po basin in June was 36% below the 1991-2020 historical monthly average, while temperatures were 3.5C (6.3F) above average.
At Isola Sant’Antonio near Alessandria, the Po River’s average flow was 75% below the historical average.
Farmers’ association Coldiretti Turin, according to the report, has also urged a state of emergency for the agricultural sector to enable extraordinary support for farms.
“The situation is rapidly worsening across the whole Turin area,” its president, Bruno Mecca Cici, warned.
