Italians Face Fines For Wasting WaterAs Supplies Rationed Amid Drought

凯伦

Italy has had one of its driest winters in the last 65 years，with rainfall 80% lower than the seasonal average. The situationhas been more acute in northern regions，where some areas havebeen deprived of significant rainfall for three months or more.The Po，the country’s longest river，is at its lowest levelrecorded in winter since 1972.

Mayors of towns in regions including Piedmont，Liguria，Lombardy and Trentino have introduced water- rationing measures，ranging from fountains being switched off and nightlyrestrictions on tap water to bans on using water for gardens andallotments，for washing cars and filling swimming pools.

Fines of up to €500 are in place for those deemed to besquandering supplies.

“I don’t ever recall a situation of this kind in winter. Wehaven’t had any rain since 8 December，”said FrancescoPietrasanta，the mayor of Quarona，a town in Piedmont.“Thereare issues with water wells，some areas have had to be suppliedby water tanks. The rule is to only use water for real necessity，such as for hygiene or food reasons.”

In Bajardo，a village in Liguria，the water supply to tapshas been switched off between 8pm and 8am. Its mayor，Francesco Laura，said he had no choice.“The springs have driedup，”he told La Stampa.“The water from the mountains nolonger comes，and in the village the little that comes from taps isused for cooking and washing.”Laura said there had been littleor no rain in the village since October 2020.

The winter drought followed an intense， protractedheatwave across Italy last summer. In August，Siracusa in Sicilyis believed to have broken the European record for the highesttemperature when it recorded a figure of 48.8C. Snowfall hasalso been below average this winter.

意大利剛经历了过去65 年来最干旱的一个冬天，降雨量比季节平均水平低了80%。意大利北部地区的干旱更为严重，一些地区已经至少有三个月没怎么下雨了。意大利最长河流波河的水位已经降至1972 年以来的冬季最低水平。

皮德蒙特、利古利亚、伦巴第和特伦蒂诺等地区的镇长都推出了一系列定量供水措施，包括关闭饮水器、限制夜间使用自来水、禁止将花园和土地用水用于洗车或给游泳池充水。

浪费用水的居民将被处以最高500 欧元（约合人民币3500 元）的罚款。

皮德蒙特区夸罗纳镇的镇长弗朗西斯科·彼得拉桑塔说：“我不记得以前的冬天出现过这种情况。自从12 月8 日以来我们这里就没下过一滴雨。水井枯竭了，部分地区不得不用水箱供水。我们规定，只有在真正有必要的时候才能用水，比如出于卫生或饮食目的。”

在利古利亚区巴亚尔多的一个村庄，晚8点到早8 点之间的自来水供应被切断。镇长弗朗西斯科·劳拉表示，他没有选择的余地。他告诉《新闻报》说：“泉水枯竭了。山上的水源没有了，村里的一点自来水只能用于煮饭和清洗。”劳拉说，自从2020 年10 月以来村里就几乎不下雨了。

在这个干旱的冬天之前，去年夏季意大利各地经历了严重而持久的热浪。去年8月，西西里岛的锡拉库萨温度达到了48.8 摄氏度，据认为打破了欧洲有史以来的高温纪90 录。今冬意大利的降雪量也低于平均水平。

很早以前，科学家就预测，气候危机和全球变暖会导致更频繁的极端天气。

利古利亚区奇萨诺镇镇长马西莫·涅罗告诉当地报纸《Il Vostro Giornale》说：“已经6 个月不下雪也不下雨了。今年夏天肯定会出问题。”

天气预报称，近期意大利北部和其他地区会有降雨，但是彼得拉桑塔表示，降雨量要够大才能解决缺水问题。

他说：“我们这里可能会下雨，但我不确定降水量是否足够。在这种缺水的情况下，我们应该考虑改变政策，用不同的方式来管理水资源，尤其是在气候变化的大背景下。”