ROME – The Italian drought has reached worrying levels, there is a loss of 51.5% of renewable water resources in a year (2022 data) compared to the historical average since 1950. To illustrate this situation, which places Calabria among the regions in among the regions with high water stress and destined to increase, is the Water Value Community for Italy of The European House – Ambrosetti on the occasion of the United Nations World Day to fight desertification and drought.
In 2023, rising temperatures and the effects of human action have generated new pressure on water resources. The peninsula ranks as the fourth country in the European Union under water stress, with an index of 3.3 out of 5. Only Belgium (4.4), Greece (4.3) and Spain (3.9) have worse values. The Italian regions at high risk are Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and Puglia, the most exposed of all, followed in order by Campania, Lazio, Marche and Umbria, Tuscany, Molise, Sardinia and Abruzzo. Experts – reports the Community Valore Acqua – estimate that by 2030 water stress will further intensify in some Italian regions, with an increase of 8.7% in Liguria, 6.1% in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and 5 .7% in the Marche.
Two sectors in particular are most affected by global warming and drought: agriculture and hydroelectricity. Italian agriculture, already subjected to numerous pressures, is facing a growing scarcity of water which puts food production and the sustainability of agricultural activities at risk; honey production was reduced by 70%, pears by 63% and cherries by 60%. Hydroelectricity, which represents a fundamental source of renewable energy for Italy, is suffering due to the reduction of water resources, compromising the country’s ability to meet energy demand through clean sources.
