Waste Not, Want Not

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The mighty Po is looked upon in northern Italy almost as a god. Populist political leader Umberto Bossi still comes to its banks each September to scoop water into a small glass chalice that he carries to Venice in a curious homage to the country's longest river. But this summer the Po is looking meager. There has been no significant rainfall in the region since April, and with July water levels at their lowest since record keeping began in 1912, the Italian Confederation of Farmers is warning that corn and rice harvests in the north could drop by up to 40%, at a cost to the agriculture industry of ?5 billion. Four northern Italian regions have asked Rome to declare a state of emergency. The drought is certainly to blame, but Diego Maggiolo, 31, who with his father farms 10 hectares of corn and wheat just a stone's throw from the Po, thinks there's another culprit too. "Water is wasted because it isn't managed properly," he says.

Northern Italy is normally rich in the wet stuff, which is fortunate since Italians are second only to Spaniards as Europe's biggest per capita consumers of water. But in Venice, for example, rainfall in the first six months of the year was 40% lower than average. Italy is not alone in feeling the heat. Unusually warm and dry weather has been wreaking havoc — and delighting sunbathers — all around Europe. In Austria, the Danube is now so low that barges can only carry half their usual loads, while all shipping is blocked on a stretch of the Elbe in the German state of Saxony because the river has shrunk so much. People living in the Po basin are accustomed to such drastic shortages elsewhere in Europe — and in Sicily, which has a disastrous system for collecting and distributing water — but this summer's drought has alerted northern Italians that their own network is insufficient. "The whole country needs a new integrated hydration system," warned the national irrigation board.

The urgency comes from a combination of factors. "We are seeing the 'tropicalization' of Italy's climate," says Andrea Poggio, who heads the Lombardy regional branch of the Environmental League. "You have long periods of hot weather, and then brief spells of heavy rain." But Italy can't blame its predicament entirely on Mother Nature or even the greenhouse effect. There are also outdated reservoirs and delivery systems throughout the country; it's estimated that 27% of Italy's water supply is lost along the way through leaky basins and piping.

Last summer it was Sicily that suffered a water crisis. But this year reservoirs in the south are full — thanks to generous rain that fell during the last three months of 2002 — and rivers are drying up in the north. But Sicily still faces intractable problems. The southern drought drama has largely faded from the headlines, but Mimmo Rizzuto, a geologist based in the coastal town of Sciacca, says the storyline hasn't changed: "Sure, it's the emergencies that get everyone's attention. But the problems never really go away." In addition to lack of rain, Sicily's crisi idrica can be blamed on ill-conceived construction plans, rivalry among towns for limited supplies, soil that doesn't retain groundwater, and Mafia-related corruption in the management system.

As a result, southern residents live with water uncertainty. Elena Bianchetta, a 64-year-old middle school principal in Agrigento, has lived her whole life rationing water. Her middle-class apartment building has large plastic containers on its roof to dispense the water that is typically delivered every two weeks. When the faucet starts to sputter, Bianchetta knows that the pressure is dropping and she must start recycling dishwater to use in the toilets. "It's always been this way," she says. "You learn to live with it. It's like looking into your wallet and always seeing less money." Northern Italians, not used to either cash or water-flow problems, may help spur a more comprehensive solution for the whole country. Last week, Italy's Agriculture Minister announced that funds for improved and expanded infrastructure have been added to the current proposal for next year's budget. But a new water system may require a wholesale shift in the way water is viewed — a shift that begins with short showers at home and more efficient irrigation on the farm. And when the rains finally arrive, the mighty Po will return to its former glory.