Italy’s Lake Garda Shrinks to Near-Historic Low Amid Drought

Source: The post is based on the article “Italy’s Lake Garda Shrinks to Near-Historic Low Amid Drought” published in VoaNews on 13th August 2022.

What is the News?

Italy’s worst drought in decades has reduced Lake Garda to near its lowest level ever recorded.

About Lake Garda

Lake Garda is also known as Benaco. It is the largest lake in Italy.

Why has Lake Garda reached its lowest level?

Northern Italy saw significantly lower rainfall for months and snowfall in 2022 was also down 70%, drying up important rivers like the Po, which flows across Italy’s agricultural and industrial heartland.

The parched condition of the Po, Italy’s longest river, caused billions of euros in losses to farmers who normally rely on it to irrigate fields and rice paddies.

To compensate for the loss, authorities allowed more water from Lake Garda to flow out to local rivers.

But in late July 2022, they reduced the amount to protect the lake and the financially important tourism tied to it.

With huge amounts of water being diverted to rivers, Lake Garda recorded its lowest level.