Italy Takes Action Against Drought: Draft Decree Reveals Appointment of Special Commissioner

Dry winter weather has fueled fears that Italy would suffer a second drought, following the declaration of a state of emergency last summer for the highly productive northern agricultural areas bordering the Po river.

The drought commissioner will be in charge of all actions needed to deal with the emergency, according to a formal decree that Giorgia Meloni's cabinet is slated to ratify at a meeting scheduled for 5.30 p.m. (1530 GMT).

The commissioner, whose term finishes at the end of December but can be extended for another year, will coordinate efforts to cut water consumption across the country and repair infrastructure that needs to be repaired. According to the regulation, the commissioner will have broad powers limited only by criminal law.

Italy is plagued with leaking pipes. According to a report issued in March by the national statistics bureau ISTAT, Italy's aqueducts lost 42.2% of the water they transported in 2020, the greatest proportion on record. Water leakage was 10 percentage points lower in 2008.

According to environmentalist group Legambiente, the Po had 61% less water in February last year than was expected for the time of year, following the area's worst drought in 70 years.

Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin recently announced that the government would invest about 8 billion euros (USD 8.74 billion) in a drought-relief plan.