Po dries up in Lombardy as Delta agriculture faces risk from excessive water withdrawals

The Po is drying up in its delta due to excessive, concentrated irrigation withdrawals in Lombardy, sharply reducing flows at Pontelagoscuro (FE): in just 10 days, discharge fell from over 1,000 cubic meters per second to about 300 m³/s, lowering the water level by nearly 2 meters, according to ARPAE readings at 12:00 on June 19, 2026. The flow is approaching a critical threshold of 450 m³/s, which would trigger restrictions on withdrawals to prevent saltwater intrusion and soil salinization.

ARPAE data show that, despite available water in Lombardy’s mountain areas and major lakes—about 1.5 billion m³ of storage—and lake releases totaling around 650 m³/s from systems including Lago Maggiore, Como, Iseo, Idro and Garda, most of the water is intercepted upstream by irrigation intake works, leaving less for the river mouth. Legambiente Lombardia, through water resources coordinator Lorenzo Baio and the LIFE CLIMAX PO project, is calling for restructuring the Po Valley’s agricultural system, including reducing maize areas, changing rice irrigation practices by returning to spring flooding, and restoring winter and spring irrigation to help recharge the groundwater.
Italian Version