Desertification, soil degradation And Drought represent the strongest environmental problems of our time. Soil is threatened by population growth, unsustainable production and consumption styles and climate change. Drought is a particular one natural meteorological condition which becomes problematic if it persists. In fact, when it lasts, it can have a strong impact on agriculture, on the recharge of aquifers, on human health and on the economy itself.
The interview
On the occasion of world day to fight desertification and drought Interris.it interviewed Dr Emanuele Romanoresearcher at the Water Research Institute of CNR-IRSA (National Research Council).
Doctor Romano, what summer awaits us?
“From a drought perspective, we are not able to make this prediction accurately. The only prediction we have is to understand what the trend will be over a horizon of one or two months. In general, the sector that is most affected by the rainfall in the coming months is the agricultural sector, given that in summer the less rainfall there is, the more the land will have to be irrigated to continue to avoid suffering agricultural production. From the point of view of water resources, however, what matters most is the rainfall in the period from November to May”.
Last winter in some regions of our peninsula there was very little rainfall. Does this factor have any consequences on citizens?
“We are talking above all about central Italy and in particular Lazio where water resources used for civil purposes are in difficulty and where this situation can only be marginally corrected by any future rainfall. In this area, however, the water resources technically have a resilience that will ensure that there are no situations of lack of supply. Still in central Italy, some local situations in the Marche area are of concern. However, Sicily is already in a state of extreme difficulty, so much so that the national department of civil protection has declared a state of emergency due to the water crisis and in some areas of the island the supply of drinking water is already under shifts or via tankers”.
Is the risk of drought increasing?
“In Italy, even in the past, we have always had drought problems. The current scenario, however, shows a worsening of the situation, with more frequent drought episodes. This condition is frightening because, if previously having a drought every ten years, it was possible to return to normality within a few months, or at most a few years, today this is no longer the case, and the consequences of multiple events close together could overlap” .
Does drought have negative consequences on human health?
“When we talk about drought we mean a more or less prolonged period of absence of precipitation. However, the event that impacts humans the most is what we define as heat waves, or limited periods of very high temperatures. These are especially harmful to older people whose bodies are more fragile and less able to withstand a strong change in temperature. For this reason it is important to protect the elderly from these waves, making them stay at home during the hottest hours and with a constant temperature, or in cool places”.
What do you recommend to save water?
“It is a priceless asset that must always be sparingly used. Change starts from us, but citizens are not always educated to do so. For example, to consume less water you should prefer the shower to the bathtub. Furthermore, water is used for energy production, both through hydroelectric and thermoelectric, where the water is used to cool the systems. In this regard therefore, in summer to save water it would be enough to keep the air conditioner at 23° and not at 18°”.
