The worst drought Italy has faced in 70 years is thirsting paddy fields in the Po River valley and jeopardizing the harvest of premium rice used for risotto.
Italy’s largest river is turning into a long stretch of sand due to the lack of rain, leaving the Lomellina rice flats — nestled between the Po and the Alps — without the necessary water to flood the paddies.
“Normally this field is supposed to be flooded with 2cm to 5cm of water, but now it seems to be on a sandy beach,” rice farmer Giovanni Daghetta said as he walked through the dying rice fields in the town of Mortara.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Farmers there have been producing the famed Arborio rice for centuries. The wide grains of this local variety are deemed perfect for absorbing the flavors of risotto dishes.
UN Food and Agriculture Organization data showed that drought stress is the most damaging factor for rice, especially in the early stages of its growth.
Heat waves, such as those repeatedly hitting Italy with peaks of 40°C, can significantly reduce the yield of surviving rice.
“This paddy hasn’t been irrigated for two weeks now, and 90 percent of the plants have already fully dried,” Daghetta said. “The remaining 10 percent that are still slightly green urgently need to be submerged with water within two or three days.”
However, with more dry days forecast, Daghetta had little hope that would happen.
The lack of rainfall has brought governors of some Italian regions to declare a state of emergency to conserve water and coordinate the management of minimal resources.
The region’s main water sources, the rivers Po and Dora Baltea, are eight times lower than the average seasonal levels, said the West Sesia irrigation association, which regulates water distribution through a maze of channels that snake through the rice fields.
“From the river Po, we were supposed to receive a flow rate of 160,000 liters per second, while we currently have an approximate flow rate between 30,000 and 60,000 liters per second,” association president Stefano Bondesa said.
As a result of the water shortage, Bondesa was forced to take a few unpopular decisions, recently ruling to stop irrigating poplars, fruit trees and second crops to give priority to rice.
Tensions are starting to increase between upstream and downstream regions along the river basin, and between hydroelectric plants and farmers who are all vying for the same dwindling resource.
It is feared that larger conflicts could be next if rainfall does not relieve empty reservoirs soon.
Even Italy’s wealthiest city is feeling the effects of drought.
The mayor of Milan on Saturday signed an ordinance turning off the spigots of public decorative fountains to save water.
Milan Archbishop Mario Delpini made a pilgrimage to pray for “the gift of rain.”
He visited three churches that serve the farming communities on the outskirts of the city, reciting the Rosary and using holy water to bless a field in front of the St Martin Olearo di Mediglia church.
It seemed his prayers were at least partially heard, when Milan and part of northern Italy were on Tuesday temporarily relieved by several scattered showers.
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