Northern Italy faces severe drought as Po River stocks near exhaustion

Water stocks in northern Italy's Po River basin will be exhausted in just 10 days if rainfall does not arrive and irrigation continues at its current pace. The Po River District Basin Authority (ADBPO) assessed the situation as "extremely critical," warning of an immediate threat to the region's agricultural sector and broader economy.

The physical symptoms of the drought are already disrupting business operations at the river's mouth. In the Veneto region, which declared a state of emergency at the start of this month, the Po's reduced flow rate has allowed salt water from the Adriatic Sea to push 20 to 25 kilometres upstream. This saltwater intrusion is partly preventing the irrigation of fields. For agricultural producers, this represents a direct financial threat, as saline exposure can rapidly destroy crops and degrade fertile soil, jeopardizing seasonal revenues.

The loss of irrigation capacity is compounded by a severe depletion of the region's strategic water reserves. Piedmont, the northwestern region where the Po originates and which borders France, has suffered heavily under the heatwaves that have hit Europe. In just one week, Lake Maggiore's fill rate dropped by 17 percent, or 33 centimetres. Lake Como fell by 15 percent over the same period. The rapid emptying of these major lakes eliminates the economic buffer that farmers and local industries rely on to survive dry spells, leaving them highly exposed to market volatility if yields collapse.

Emergency interventions

Regional authorities are now forced into making difficult economic trade-offs to prevent a total collapse of the water system. An emergency meeting has been called in Piedmont for Monday to address the escalating crisis. The ADBPO noted that officials may decide to increase water releases from upstream reserves "in order to maintain the flow in the Po."

Such a move would effectively prioritize the flow of water downstream over local conservation in Piedmont, illustrating the impossible choices facing drought-stricken regions. As the authority warned, the ecosystem itself is at risk. For investors and companies tied to northern Italy's agricultural output, the rapidly closing window to avert an irrigation shutdown signals a looming supply chain disruption that will be felt well beyond the Po Valley.