Will the drought in Ticino be worse than 2022?

Farmer Andrea Zanini (50) is helpless in his field. The ground is dry and riddled with fine cracks. The gray earth flows like dust between his fingers. “It’s the first time I planted Sardinian sweet clover,” says Andrea Zanini. There will be no harvest,” Ticino says, shaking his head in disappointment.

The wheat field is also a cause for concern. “It’s already yellow in February. Wheat is actually hardy,” says Zanini. According to the farmer, the reason is groundwater. “Normally as low as in July. I have never observed such a level in winter.” 2021 was already a bad year, 2022 was a disaster, the farmer says, “and now another drought of the century is coming. I don’t know how to proceed.”

Corn production fell 90 percent in 2022

Andrea Zanini owns 30 hectares of land and mostly grows grassland crops and maize. As early as 2022, feed production from maize fell by 90 percent. The farmer harvested only 20 percent of the hay. He couldn’t even feed his own animals. “We’ve sold almost all of our suckling cows,” says Zanini. His son doesn’t want to keep the job, he’s “truck driver now”.

Full of expectations, Andrea Zanini follows the weather. “Rain has been announced for the next few days, but only a few drops have fallen. I am no Nostradamus, but 2023 may be even worse than the previous year,” says Farmer. According to MeteoSwiss, 30 to 35 days of continuous rain will be required to close the gap. However, there is no precipitation in sight. And the farmer warns that as droughts are no longer an exceptional event, insurance companies may refuse to pay future claims.

Total outdoor fire ban

Further south, beyond the Swiss border, the water level of the River Po is alarming. The stream is half as wide in places and passes through sandbanks rising between dry shores. Northern Italy has also had only half as much rain as in previous years since the beginning of January 2022. Wheat and rice harvests are under threat. The water level of Lake Maggiore, which feeds the Po, has been below average for 14 months. If the drought continues, a new conflict between southern Switzerland and northern Italy is inevitable. As early as 2022, the Italians demanded that Ticino open their dam to fill the lake. But the reservoirs in Ticino are only 30 percent full due to drought, the Swiss Federal Energy Agency (SFOE) reported.

Fire departments have concerns of an entirely different nature. Since February 3, 2023, open fires have been strictly prohibited in Ticino and southern Grisons due to the significant risk of wildfires. Nicola Calanca, of the canton’s department for natural disasters, warns that three-quarters of the fires are caused by humans: “Open fires, use of spark-emitting devices, grilling, and incineration or disposal of green waste near forest or dry vegetation. Ash from outdoor stoves and fireplaces is strictly prohibited».

Source : Blick