Rome: There is severe heat in Italy these days. People are in bad condition due to the heat. Regional and municipal governments of Italy are declaring a state of emergency due to extremely hot and dry summers in the country.
According to the news agency Xinhua, a state of emergency has been declared in Sassari, Sardinia on Thursday due to severe drought and record-breaking heat.
Sassari, located in the northern part of the Italian island, has released additional funds to help local businesses affected due to extreme weather.
Earlier, the southern region of Calabria in Italy had requested the central government to declare a national emergency, allowing emergency funds to be released and local governments to set rationing programs for water conservation.
Local governments in Sicily have also declared an emergency. In the southern Italian region, parts of the island have not been getting regular water supply for several weeks and the same situation has been seen in Apulia, located at the end of the Italian peninsula.
The Lucanian Olive Growers Association has said their olive oil production will drop by 95 percent this year. Italy’s national farmers’ union Coldiretti said earlier this month that national production of tomatoes and berries will be much lower this year due to unusually hot and dry weather.
Temperatures are expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the south and island regions, according to weather data site Il Meteo. The lack of rainfall has exacerbated the heat, leading to severe water shortages, local rationing for families and businesses and major problems for farmers. The number of cities on ‘orange’ or ‘red’ alert is set to grow, according to the Italian Health Ministry. By Saturday, 20 of the country’s 27 largest cities, including Rome, Florence and Palermo, will be under ‘orange’ or ‘red’ alert.