Drought opens path for salt inland as southern farms brace

Italy's waterways are in critical condition as drought deepens across the country, the Po River Authority reported Friday. The Po's dramatically reduced flow has allowed seawater to penetrate up to 18 kilometres inland in the delta region, threatening both agriculture and protected wetlands, according to Devdiscourse. The crisis reflects a broader European heatwave that has left northern rivers depleted and southern water systems under strain.

In Basilicata, where agriculture remains a pillar of the regional economy despite decades of emigration, the drought carries particular weight. The region's farming communities, already fragile after years of outmigration, depend on reliable irrigation and groundwater reserves. Saltwater intrusion in the south's agricultural zones—whether in the Po Delta or in coastal plains—raises the cost of farming and threatens crop viability, pushing further pressure on an already strained sector.