Last updated:
56 minutes ago
At the confluence with the Ticino, boats now sit in shallow, muddy water surrounded by sand, algae and exposed gravel banks. The Po River Basin Authority says flows are well below seasonal averages, with levels at several monitoring stations approaching or exceeding records set during the severe drought of 2022.
The Po is vital to northern Italy’s agricultural heartland, including the Food Valley around Parma, where fruit, vegetables and rice depend on its water. Exceptionally low levels are also affecting supplies, with Ansa reporting tanker deliveries to more than 100 municipalities in Piedmont and Lombardy.
Around Pavia, the river has narrowed to a shallow channel, leaving large areas of riverbed exposed and making navigation increasingly difficult for leisure boats and rowing clubs. In the rice-growing Lomellina area, officials warn that the situation could worsen without significant rainfall, forcing farmers to rely increasingly on groundwater and emergency measures.
