Rome Might have to go on Water Regime as Early as Next Week

Scarce rainfall and water supply problems are some of the reasons why the Italian capital Rome may be forced to introduce water regime this week, the British newspaper Guardian wrote.

According to meteorologists, this spring has been one of the driest in Italy for the past 60 years, and in some parts of the country rainfall has been 80% less than normal for the season, with Sardinia among the areas that suffered most . Farmers' organization Koldireti estimated last week that land suffered 2 billion euros in damage to agriculture. Among the most affected are producers of canned tomatoes in Puglia, also most wine and olive grape growers. Among the other Italian regions affected by the drought is the province of Parma.

At the same time, water scarcity in Rome has become political, says Guardian. Last week, the governor of the Lazio region, including Rome, ordered that no more water be drained from Lake Bracano, which supplies most of the capital, as the drastically reduced water threatens the marine life in it. The lake, which is about 40 km from Rome, was previously used as a backup source of water, but has been used constantly in recent years. The ACEA water company warns that without the lake there might be water regime. According to some Italian media, stopping the water may take up to eight hours a day in some neighborhoods. Also, the famous fountains of Rome can also dry temporarily.

For the first six months of the year, there have been 26 rainy days in Rome compared to 88 in the first half of 2016. There are also reports of ongoing water supply problems in the Italian capital. La Stampa reported that, according to a study by the lobbyist company Utilitalia for companies serving nearly half the population of Italy, water losses from poor...