Critical situation as River Po runs dry

ROME (AFP) Jul 10, 2003
The waters of the River Po in northern Italy have reached a critical low due to a drought, threatening agriculture and an essential cooling system at a major power station, authorities said THursday.

The water level had dropped by 7.53 metres (25 feet) at Cremona, port authorites there told AFP. The Po had dropped 24 centimetres (9.6 inches) in the last two weeks.

"We are experiencing a very historic and critical situation," said Fulvio Regis, harbourmaster at Cremona.

The Po rises in the Alps close to the French border at the foot of Mount Viso and winds 650 kilometres (390 miles) through eight regions of northern Italy to the Adriatic Sea.

Its waters supply the cooling system of a major power station at Porto Tolle, where levels had also become critical, local authorities said.

Lombardy, the region surrounding Milan, has asked local districts to provide it urgently with data on damage caused by drought, especially to agriculture, in order to decide whether to declare a state of natural disaster. At Cremona, the corn harvest could drop by some 40 percent, farming sources said.

TERRA.WIRE