Italy’s government approved the appointment of a special commissioner to address the effect of a drought crisis that could take place again this summer after experiencing one of the country’s most severe droughts last year, reports Reuters.
The special commissioner will be in office until the end of the year and will be accompanied by a task force made up of leading officials from various ministries. The aim is to define a water plan, speed up essential works to deal with the drought and launch an awareness-raising campaign. It will also be tasked with the supervision of the construction of hydraulic infrastructures and the management of reservoirs.
With this new measure, Italy will bring together under a single command all investments financed with European and national funds aimed at saving water, such as the construction of desalination plants or the reuse of treated wastewater.
Last summer Italy declared a state of emergency in five northern regions due to drought and the government announced €36.5 million in emergency funds to help the affected areas. The drought posed a threat to agricultural production in the Po basin, which suffered the worst drought in 70 years.
