by Eric J. Lyman
ROME, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The month of October will go down into the record books as the driest single month since the 1950s, according to data from weather monitoring service Epson Meteo, keeping 2017 on pace to be the driest year in Italy since record keeping began in 1960.
The unusually dry weather is causing record low levels in rivers and lakes, as well as water rationing in some parts of the country and agriculture problems in others. It has been put down to a combination of multiple factors all hitting around the same time, analysts told Xinhua.
"There are some impacts of climate change, plus there is a natural atmospheric circulation that returns on 22-year cycles," Adriano Mazzarella, head of the Meteorological observatory at Federico II University in Naples, said in an interview.
Added Giampiero Maracchi, a climatologist at the University of Florence: "A major culprit is localized currents from North Africa," he said, "It's something that usually happens only every two or three years."
Whatever the cause, the problems stemming from the lack of water are significant. In October alone, rainfall in Italy accounted for 14 billion cubic meters of water less than in a normal October, a decrease of around 88 percent compared to normal levels, Epson Meteo data showed.
Dry weather is thought to be one of the main causes behind a rash of forest fires across parts of Italy. Minister of the Interior Marco Minniti called an emergency meeting of experts Monday to discuss ways to curb the problem. Switzerland and Croatia have sent aircraft to Italy to help combat the fires near their borders.
In addition, Italian wine production for this year is expected to be well below normal levels, as early signs are that olive oil production will suffer a similar fate. Even as weather cools from an unusually hot summer fountains remain closed in several major Italian cities.
Experts called for long-term planning to confront the problems: more reservoirs to collect water when rains are plentiful, more efficient distribution, less water-intensive kinds of agriculture, and using recycled water for uses beyond human consumption, such as in fountains or for irrigation.
"For the most part, the same quality of drinkable water for all uses, which is a waste when recycled water could be used," Mazzarella said.
The worst may be over, however. Mazzarella predicted rains could come over the last two months of the year, and if that happens, it could save this year from the fate of being the driest since record keeping began.
But Maracchi said that even if the dry weather abates, it should not reduce the pressure on the government to take appropriate action.
"Steps have to be taken to make sure that the next time rainfall is low it doesn't have the same impact it is having in 2017," Maracchi said.
