Drought, "red alert" in the Cagliari area and on the eastern coast of the island

The Mediterranean area is in "critical drought conditions", with Sardinia included in the areas most affected by the water crisis.

The worrying situation is certified by the report "Drought in the Mediterranean - January 2024" published today by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (JRC).

The dossier highlights how in Sardinia the water basins reached "less than 50 percent of their capacity" in December 2023 and how in the center of the island, precisely along the Posada river basin , the ban on irrigation .

A drastic measure that may not be the only one. In the maps attached to the EU agency's report, in fact, Sardinia is now entirely in orange, a color that identifies the areas under "warning", that is, paid attention by experts and institutions due to the particular gravity of the situation. But in some areas, especially in the Cagliari area and along the eastern coast, there are several places where the level is that of "red alert".

The situation is even worse in the other major Italian island, Sicily, where "the tanks are below the alert level and water rationing may be necessary to guarantee minimum services".

«Severe and prolonged drought events have affected Europe for over two years and Northern Africa for six years, causing water shortages and hindering the growth of vegetation», underline the experts, identifying the causes of what is happening in the «temperatures prolonged and above average and in hot periods and low rainfall" , which had "an already critical impact in the middle of winter".

But even the advances on seasonal forecasts do not bode well: experts highlight that "a warmer spring should be on the way in southern Italy , Greece, the Mediterranean islands and northern Africa", which will have another significant " impact on agriculture, ecosystems, the availability of drinking water and energy production".