Po River drought reaches Alpine headwaters, testing Italy's water balance

Italy's Po River has fallen to historically low levels as the country endures its fourth heatwave of the summer, exposing wide stretches of dry riverbed near Pavia and raising fresh concerns over water supplies and farming across northern Italy, according to Euronews.

The drought comes as forecasters warn of a sweltering Ferragosto weekend with highs of 40C, as reported by The Local Italy, deepening pressure on a region already grappling with the effects of climate stress on its rivers and reservoirs.

For Trentino-Alto Adige, the story of the Po is not a distant one: the river's longest headwater tributaries rise in the Alps of this autonomous region, where glacial melt and snowpack feed the basin that sustains Italy's agricultural heartland.