On a farm in northern Italy, not far from the Adriatic Sea, Giampaolo Bassi’s crops are in trouble.
“Saltwater kills plants because they can’t stand such a high salt concentration,” says Bassi, 32.
It brings out one of the most fragile-looking plants: Peanuts have nothing to hang from the root.
Giampaolo has had problems with salt in the water before, but the situation has never been worse.
The region is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years due to rising temperatures and lack of rain and snow since the winter period.
The Po River and its tributaries are a lifeline for many farming communities in northern Italy.
Its route from the Southwest Alps to the Adriatic Sea is 652 km. But annual satellite images show that the dry areas are expanding.
Experts say the weaker flow pushes salty seawater into the river.
“We often see seawater entering a few kilometers into the mouth of the river,” says Paolo Ciavola, professor of Coastal Dynamics at the University of Ferrara.
“But currently official data from the Po Basin Authority shows saltwater inflow up to 30 km from the mouth.”
A freshwater river normally pushes its flow towards the sea, but “at this point the river is losing the battle and the saltwater is stronger,” says the professor.
“This water is used for irrigation and therefore farmers can suffer great economic damage from it.”
Image: BBC
Near the small town of Sermide in Mantua province, locals gather for a drink and a cigarette at a boat club cafe.
However, the small boats were stranded as a large part of the river turned into a sandbar.
At this point the Po River splits into two sides of a small island. It is possible to walk through it and crush cracked soil. Residents looking from the balcony say the scenario is not normal.
Local resident barista Sergio Bettoni says it’s the first time the small boats have been completely abandoned.
His wife, Maria Grazia Lupi, says the scene devastated him.
Image: BBC
“I hope the weather changes and the river slowly returns to normal. It’s a disaster for everyone, and for the companies here.”
With the drought in recent months, the wreckage of a Nazi boat and a German military vehicle that sank in World War II appeared in the waters.
Nazi troops were pushed north of the river in 1945 as the Allies advanced.
Sergio points to the ship’s wooden wreckage visible on the surface. According to him, the material has been flooded since the time of the war.
This drought reveals the hidden history of the Dust.
Image: BBC
Bombs spraying fields are seen in rural areas in Lombardy and Emilio-Romagna. In some places, the green landscape is exuberant. Likewise, to a layman, the river looks healthy in some places.
But these are two of the five regions where the government recently declared a state of emergency due to drought.
About 75 km east of the city of Ferrara lives 67-year-old farmer Giuliano Rolfini.
When asked about the drought, he says he counts the days since the last rain. “I’ve lived here since I was born. This is the worst year ever. The future is completely uncertain.”
This drought, along with an avalanche triggered by the collapse of a glacier in the Dolomites mountains, has once again raised alarm over the effects of climate change in Italy.
Giampaolo fears losing a quarter of his family’s income in the peanut field this year.
He also grows other crops and says he has not suffered major losses so far, but is worried about the future.
“Our fear is that the salt in the river water is increasing, because it’s drying up the soil. It’s affecting our soils increasingly, harder to cultivate and less productive to farm,” he says.
Rain could help dilute the river’s salt levels, but the forecasts are not encouraging.
Professor Ciavola warns that such situations will become more common in the future as climate change intensifies. Italy and other countries will have to adapt, he says.
“Maybe you need to change the type of crop or better optimize water use. So it’s not just a short-term adaptation strategy, it’s a long-term strategy as well.”
– The text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62110054.
source: Noticias
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