Water shortage: “Without water redistribution, no structure will ever be sufficient” (R. Laurenti, CBDP)

"With the lack of fresh water coming from upstream, the sea is advancing more and more", Rodolfo Laurenti, Director of the Consorzio di Bonifica Delta del Po (Po Delta Land Reclamation Consortium), told News Tank on 6/07/2026.

The Consortium's activities, Laurenti explains, cover land reclamation, hydraulic safety, and irrigation, the latter made possible by fresh water from the Adige and Po rivers. Preventing saltwater intrusion requires at least 450 cubic meters per second at Pontelagoscuro, 60 km from the Po Delta: when flow dips below that, saltwater advances the next day. "The problems of these past 25 days stem from the flow shortage we've been recording since mid-June: we are right now recording 300-320 cubic meters per second," he says.

"As of today, we are guaranteeing water to…