All fountains in the Vatican City State, including those in St Peter’s Square, have been turned off in response to the water shortages that are plaguing Rome, Vatican Radio reported.
The decision reflects the pro-environment teachings of Pope Francis’ Laudato Sii encyclical on climate change, the official Vatican broadcaster said.
Water supplies are in jeopardy in Rome following an unusually dry summer season, and authorities are considering several emergency measures to address the crisis, including rationing.
On June 23, it was reported that several areas of Italy, including the Po valley in the north and the capital city of Rome, were struggling with water shortages amid a heatwave.
The heatwave is expected to push temperatures close to 40 degrees at the weekend than.
The Po valley is one of Italy’s most fertile areas. It is home to tomato and wheat fields that supply the world’s biggest pasta producer, Barilla.
The river’s flow rate is down by 65 per cent compared to a 1995-2015 average, the ANSA news agency said.
In Rome, Mayor Virginia Raggi issued a ban on the use of domestic water for gardening, filling up swimming pools or washing cars or motorbikes, to be enforced with fines of up to 500 euros.
The same measure was adopted in Benevento, a southern city near Naples.
Coldiretti said there were critical droughts also in Tuscany and Veneto regions, and worrying developments in Liguria, Piedmont, Lombardy and Friuli in the north,
Others are: Umbria and Lazio in central Italy, as well as Campania, Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata and Sicily in the south.