The last weekend of July is expected to be one of the hottest of the year, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees and millions of Italians traveling to their vacation destinations. For this reason, Anas has decided to suspend 70% of construction sites until September 3.
However, the return of the heat wave, nicknamed “Charon”, risks worsening the water emergency, especially in the Centre-South, with Calabria having declared a state of emergency and Sicily having to rely on a Navy tanker to mitigate the crisis.
Coldiretti has launched a red alert for crops and animals, preparing a mobilization in front of the Sicily Region. From today, the traditional summer exodus will begin, with the red dot accompanying travel on the roads from Saturday morning until the whole day of Sunday.
Anas has increased road personnel, ordering the suspension of 906 construction sites along the entire network. The routes most closely monitored are those towards holiday resorts, in particular along the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian and Ionian backbones, and along the border crossings towards France, Slovenia and Croatia, as well as exiting urban centres.
“We are committed to ensuring smooth and fluid circulation for all users despite the large traffic flows,” explained Anas CEO Aldo Isi. “As foreseen in our exodus plan, the Anas teams are operational 24 hours a day to monitor the road network and intervene immediately in case of emergency.”
A large influx is also expected in accommodation facilities, with Assoturismo predicting the booking of 8 out of 10 rooms, for a total of over 6,4 million overnight stays expected between today and Sunday. The heat has pushed bookings to lake and mountain resorts, with an increase of 92% and 82% of available rooms respectively.
The cities of art, on the other hand, stop at 75%. The highest saturation rate was found in the North, while the regions of Central Italy and the South and Islands are slightly below the national average values.
Fiumicino Airport recorded a record number of passengers in a day on July 14, with 176 arrivals and departures. In July, the daily average was 160, exceeding 1.000 aircraft movements per day.
In addition to tourism, Italy also has to deal with the drought emergency, which is particularly affecting the regions of Central and Southern Italy. The governor of Calabria, Roberto Occhiuto, has declared a regional state of emergency for the areas of Crotone and Reggio. A tanker of the Navy arrived in Licata, Sicily, with 1.200 cubic meters of water to mitigate the water emergency in the area of Gela and Agrigento.
Anbi has raised the alarm, announcing that in three weeks there will be no more water for agriculture in the South. “The situation is tragic,” commented Angelo Bonelli, deputy of the Greens and Left, asking Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to immediately convene the Council of Ministers to declare a state of climate crisis. The State-Regions Conference has given the green light to the recognition of “force majeure conditions and exceptional circumstances” for the whole of Sicily, allowing agricultural and livestock businesses to benefit from special exemptions and aid.
Coldiretti highlighted the serious situation of crops and animals "left without food and water", underlining the urgency of the crisis.
Article published on 27 July 2024 - 10:18
