There are fears of an agricultural “catastrophe” in Italy after the crop was damaged by seawater after the worst drought in 70 years.
The Po River, which flows more than 650 km (403 miles) from west to east in the north of the country, dried up after an early summer heat wave complicated by a lack of winter snow.
The waves from the Adriatic Sea break through the salt barriers and push downstream, making irrigation even more difficult for farmers who are already struggling with high temperatures.
“Salt water enters the body of water,” said Giancarlo Mantovani, director of Reclaiming the Po.
“There are parts of the fields without plants and others where they grow regularly,” he added.
“If there is no rain for the next 10 or 15 days, the crops that have not yet been lost will disappear. At this stage, we are progressively losing the harvest.”
In the province of Pavia, near Milan, farmer Luigi Ferraris said the crisis could last at least two years.
“The rice is harvested in September and October,” he said. “We still have July and August ahead of us – two hot months – my concern is that if it doesn’t rain …
“I’m not saying it’s a disaster, but we’re almost there.
Image: Drought means that farmers are gradually losing their crops
A state of emergency has been declared in neighboring Austria after villages in the southern province of Carinthia were torn apart by mudslides and floods caused by torrential rains.
Local media reported that streams had erupted on their shores and mud had buried homes up to the first floor.
Image: Photo: Emmaisnotmyname Image: Photo: Emmaisnotmyname
Area captain Bernd Ripan said two people were missing, including someone allegedly in their car when it was swept away by the floods.
Public operator ORF said residents of Trefen and Ariach had been told to seek safety in the upper levels of their homes.
Several people trapped in their homes had to be taken to safety by helicopters.
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0:40 The rivers Polauer and Trefner in the Austrian province of Carinthia erupted on their banks after severe storms.
Ariach Mayor Gerald Ebner said the city was cut off from the outside world.
“All connecting roads have been removed,” he said.
He added that they are waiting for the army to bring heavy equipment to help make the roads passable again and to reach detached households.
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