Weeks of dry winter weather have raised concerns that Italy could face another drought after last summer's emergency, with the Alps having received less than half of their normal snowfall, according to scientists and environmental groups. A gondola is pictured in a canal during a severe low tide in the lagoon city of Venice, Italy, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri The warning comes as Venice, where flooding is normally the primary concern, faces unusually low tides that are making it impossible for gondolas, water taxis and ambulances to navigate some of its famous canals. The problems in Venice are being blamed on a combination of factors -- the lack of rain, a high pressure system, a full moon and sea currents. Italian rivers and lakes are suffering from severe la...
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Europe is facing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent in a state of alert or warning, reducing inland shipping, electricity production and the yields of certain crops, a European Union agency said on Tuesday. The August report of the European Drought Observatory (EDO), overseen by the European Commission, said 47% of Europe is under warning conditions, with clear deficit of soil moisture, and 17% in a state of alert, in which vegetation is affected. A woman takes pictures in the peninsula of Sirmione, on Garda lake, Italy, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) "The severe drought affecting many regions of Europe since the beginning of the year has been further expanding and worsening as of early August," the report said, adding tha...
Read MoreAncient stones in Germany, World War II ships in Danube latest in the series Weeks of baking drought across Europe have seen water levels in rivers and lakes fall to levels few can remember, exposing long-submerged treasures - and some unwanted hazards. In Spain, suffering its worst drought in decades, archaeologists have been delighted by the emergence of a prehistoric stone circle dubbed the "Spanish Stonehenge" that is usually covered by the waters of a dam. One of the 'hunger stones' is revealed by the low level of water in Worms, Germany, August 17, 2022. REUTERS/Tilman Blasshofer Memories of past droughts have also been rekindled in Germany by the reappearance of so-called "hunger stones" along the River Rhine. Many such stones have become visible along the banks of Germ...
Read MoreSwiss artist Francois Monthoux's annual project to build clay sculptures on the banks of Switzerland's Toleure river has sprawled into a captivating castle complex this year as the drought afflicting Europe allows him to extend his dream world. Monthoux began this year's project with modest ambitions six weeks ago but the drought allowed him to build an entire city of spires. Visitors look at the work called "Monthoux castle" by land art artist Francois Monthoux, which he made out of clay retrieved from the dried bed of Le Toleure river due to ongoing drought, in Saubraz, Switzerland, August 12, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Now he has mixed feelings: he wants it to rain, but is sad at the thought of his dream world disappearing when it does. "I imagine the life of the people ...
Read MoreA flock of sheep shelter from the midday sun under the gothic arches of a medieval bridge flooded in 1956 to create the Cijara reservoir in central Spain, but now fully exposed as the reservoir is 84% empty after a severe drought. In Andalusia, one of Europe's hottest and driest regions, paddle-boats and waterslides lie abandoned on the cracked bed of Vinuela reservoir, remnants of a rental business gone with the water, now at a critical level of 13%. The remains of the Royal Site of La Isabela bathhouse emerge from the low waters of the Buendia reservoir, in Sacedon, Spain, August 7, 2022 .REUTERS/Susana Vera A nearby restaurant fears a similar fate. "The situation is quite dramatic in the sense that it's been several years without rain and we're hitting rock bottom," said ow...
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