Emilia-Romagna drought forces irrigation cuts and highlights missed water‑storage projects

The Bonifica Parmense irrigation consortium is operating at full capacity on the Po at the newly refurbished Foce Ongina plant, delivering 800‑950 L/s to 6 850 ha of farmland in Busseto, Polesine Zibello, Soragna and Roccabianca. Persistent drought has reduced flow on the Enza to about 150 L/s and on the Taro to roughly 300 L/s, prompting the risk of exceeding the Deflusso Minimo Vitale (DMV). Director Fabrizio Useri said the consortium will “resort to its emergency reserves within the limits of the available resource” if a derogation from the DMV is required, and that irrigation priority is being given to the most water‑stressed crops.

In Ferrara, local stakeholders criticize the failure to implement large water‑storage reservoirs (invasi) promised under the PNRR. The lack of pre‑existing projects meant funds were directed to minor upgrades rather than new basins, leaving Italy able to capture only 11 % of rainfall. Experts warn that the absence of such reservoirs worsens both summer drought and the salt‑water wedge that contaminates the Po delta, and that long‑term, decade‑scale planning for water infrastructure has been missing for decades.