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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 3 March 2023
Italy, France confront 2nd year of western Europe drought

By FRANCES D’EMILIO gency. He cited infrastruc-
Associated Press ture as a contributor to the
ROME (AP) — Bracing for problem.
Italy’s second consecutive “We must intervene with
year of drought for the first planning for the long-, me-
time in decades, Premier dium- and short-term pe-
Giorgia Meloni huddled riod to make aqueducts,
with ministers Wednesday which have leakage as
to start mapping out an high as almost 50%, more
action plan, joining France efficient and devise a plan
and other nations in west- for reservoirs and water ba-
ern Europe grappling with sins,’’ Lollobrigida said.
scant winter rain and snow. Experts from the National
Meloni and her ministers Research Council, which
decided to appoint an “ex- is known by its Italian ac-
traordinary commissioner ronym CNR, observed last
with executive powers” to month that the “snow,
carry out the government’s which fell at the end of the
drought battle plan once month after various weeks,
it’s devised. Italy appointed isn’t sufficient to reach
someone to a similar posi- the average values of the
tion to implement strate- A view of the peninsula of Sirmione, on Garda lake, Italy, on, Aug. 12, 2022. 2011-2021 decade, above
gies against the COVID-19 Associated Press all on the Alps.’’
pandemic. essential to producing Par- the depths of winter. temperatures, snow and Earlier this week, France’s
Experts say the last time migiano Reggiano cheese French President Emman- frost threatened fruit crops environment minister or-
the nation experienced and prized prosciutto. uel Macron promised his that, due to a warmer win- dered officials who are
two back-to-back years of France recorded 32 days government would devise ter, had already started working on what Macron
drought was 1989-90 but without rain this winter an urgent “water plan” in blooming, notably almond, ‘s government calls its “wa-
that conditions are more — the longest such win- mid-March. peach and cherry trees, ter sobriety plan” to take
severe now. ter drought since record- The last two summers in the agricultural farm lobby immediate steps to restrict
With scant winter snowfall keeping began in 1959. France also were excep- Coldiretti said this week. water usage to ensure
translating into vastly insuf- Snow levels in the French tionally dry, prompting “The arrival of precipita- there is enough water this
ficient snowmelt to supply Alps, the Pyrenees and oth- some farmers to consider tion in any case won’t suc- summer.
streams and tributaries that er French mountain ranges switching to new crops. ceed in making up for the Four regions in southern
flow into Po River, farmers in are also much lower than Italy last year reeled under water deficit in a situation France -- Isere, Var, Bouch-
Italy’s Emilia-Romagna re- usual for this time of year, its worst drought in 70 years, in which Italy is 30% short of es-du Rhone and the Pyr-
gion worry they might have according to the national and the Po, its longest river, water, with the percentage enees — already have wa-
to abandon traditional weather service. turned into a long stretch rising to 40% in north Italy,’’ ter restrictions in place, and
crops like corn and soy and Since snowmelt is crucial to of sand. The drought bat- Coldiretti noted, citing 10 other departments were
plant sunflowers instead. filling rivers and reservoirs, tered the rice plants that data from Italy’s National placed on the vigilance list.
The region is one of Italy’s weather watchers are wor- supply the main ingredient Research Council. In Germany, experts say
most productive agricultur- ried about depleted wa- for risotto. While briefing lawmakers that rain around the start of
al areas. The lack of water ter supplies later this year. What precipitation Italy Wednesday, Italy’s minis- the year will not be enough
could also affect the supply Around France, residents received in late February ter of agriculture and food to replenish deeper parts of
of animal feed for Emilia- are sharing images of dried- seemed to do more harm sovereignty, Francesco Lol- the soil that have become
Romagna’s cows and pigs, up riverbeds and shrunken than good for some farm- lobrigida, described the worryingly dry in recent
whose milk and meat are lakes — shocking sights in ers. A combination of lower lack of water as an emer- years. q

New Easter Island statue found in volcanic crater’s dry lake

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — iconic monolithic sculp- the other broadly featured shapes and features are still had not previously been
Researchers have found a tures on what is internation- heads and torsos that very noticeable,” Atan told cataloged, Atan said.
new moai statue in a dry ally known as Easter Island. reach as tall as 22 meters The Associated Press in an The figures represent the
lake on the Chilean island The statue is relatively small (72 feet). It was found by re- interview Wednesday. ancestors of the Rapa
of Rapa Nui, joining the at 1.6 meters (5.2 feet), as searchers from the Univer- “This discovery is something Nui community, and their
approximately 1,000 other compared with some of sity of Chile and O’Higgins historic for this new genera- role is to protect commu-
University. tion,” he added. nity members, which is why
More statues might be About 400 of the island’s they were placed looking
found in the dry lake, which 1,000 moai are inside the inward from the sea, Atan
is at the center of the Rano volcanic crater or on its said.
Raraku volcanic crater, outer slopes, and the rest Rapa Nui, located 3,700
said Salvador Atan Hito, are scattered around the kilometers (2,300 miles)
vice president of the Ma rest of the island’s Island’s from the continent, was
u Henua indigenous com- 160 square kilometers (60 declared a UNESCO World
munity that manages Rapa square miles). Heritage Site in 1995. In
Nui’s archeological trea- Some of the moai are 2019, it was renamed
sures. known to be buried under “Rapa Nui-Easter Island”
Moai statues stand on Ahu Tongariki near the Rano Raraku The statue “is in good con- the surface though they from its previous name of
volcano, top, on Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, Chile, Nov. 27, 2022. dition, it has wear from have been left in place. Easter Island.q
Associated Press time, erosion, water, but its However, this latest one