Sicily's only natural lake drying up as island grapples with drought

Record ID: 1827352

  • Title: Sicily's only natural lake drying up as island grapples with drought
  • Date: 8th July 2024
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 7, 2024) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS PROFANITY*** GREEN SUPPORTERS SINGING FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM IN FRONT OF PARTY HEADQUARTERS GREEN SUPPORTERS CHANTING (French): "We shit on the National Front (former name of far-right National Rally)" VARIOUS OF GREEN SUPPORTERS CHANTING AND CHEERING GREEN SUPPORTERS IN FRONT OF PARTY HEADQUARTERS SOCIALIST PARTY
  • Embargoed: 22nd July 2024 09:51
  • Keywords: CLIMATE CHANGE DROUGHT ENNA ENVIRONMENT ITALY LAKE PERGUSA SICILY WEATHER
  • Location: ENNA, ITALY
  • City: ENNA, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Environment,Europe,Weather
  • Reuters ID: LVA004498330062024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A severe drought in Sicily has nearly dried up the Mediterranean island's only natural lake which has long served as a vital resting station for birds migrating between Africa and Europe.
    Sicily has suffered months of below-average rainfall, with the Italian government declaring a state of emergency earlier this year over the gathering crisis, which has devastated crops and desiccated pastures.
    Lake Pergusa, part of a natural reserve close to the central Sicilian town of Enna, has shrunk dramatically because of a lethal mix of hot weather and low rains, environmentalists said.
    "The lake is no longer there. The part of the water that was visible has completely disappeared, apart from this puddle," said Giuseppe Maria Amato, from environmentalist group Legambiente, as he pointed to a pool of water.
    Sicily has long been grappling with climate change-related high temperatures, setting a European heat record in 2021 of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119 degrees Fahrenheit), and a number of towns have had to introduce water rationing.
    Drought crises have hit elsewhere in Europe in recent years, including in France and Spain, but they especially affected the Mediterranean region where the average temperature is now 1.5C higher than 150 years ago.
    "Lake Pergusa is an indicator of what Sicily is suffering due to climate change," Amato told Reuters, saying a lack of maintenance and a poor sewage system were exacerbating the emergency.
    The lake's surface normally covers 1.8 square km (0.7 square miles) and has no rivers flowing in or out of it. It appears in the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses where it is described as a place of beauty and "eternal spring."
    But such times are long gone. Scientists believe the drought risks to permanently damage biodiversity around the lake which along with the migratory birds is home to fish, molluscs and micro-invertebrates.
    "The total drying-up and a failure to replenish the water in the autumn would be truly catastrophic. We have to recognise that climate change is having an impact. It is beginning to cause irreversible damage," said climate specialist Luigi Pasotti.
    Pasotti said just 250 mm (9.8 inches) of rain fell in the last 12 months on Sicily, an underdeveloped region where agriculture is crucial for the economy.
    (Production: Danilo Arnone, Cristiano Corvino, Fabiano Franchitti)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register