Drought threatens irrigation in northern Italy as water reserves deplete

Water reserves are being depleted rapidly in northern Italy, with farming under threat, as the region's main river dries up, local officials warned on Friday, according to The Local Italy. The drought threatens irrigation systems that supply some of Europe's most productive agricultural land, raising questions about how long current reserves can sustain the summer growing season.

The crisis carries particular weight in Abruzzo, where mountain springs and rivers that feed both the high Apennines and the coastal plains are already stressed by the sustained heat. The region's national parks—the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, and the Majella—depend on reliable water flows to maintain ecosystems that support protected bears, wolves and lynx, species whose survival hinges on the integrity of highland watersheds during dry periods.