ROME, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Italy continues to struggle under the impacts of low rainfall and high temperatures, with the southern part of the country dealing with intense water shortages and officials warning residents to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day.
On Tuesday, newspaper reports said the country had begun increasing energy imports, including energy from nuclear fuel, as electricity producers were unable to generate more power from hydro plants faced with increased use due to air-cooling systems.
As of Tuesday, seven of Italy's largest cities were under either "orange" or "red" heat alerts, according to the Ministry of Health. An "orange" refers to a situation where heat represents a serious health risk for the elderly or those with serious illnesses; a "red" alert means the same risks apply to everyone.
Much of the country has been in a continual heatwave for the last five weeks, starting even before the official start of summer.
In the hottest parts of Italy, temperatures are forecast to reach record or near-record high levels in the coming days. In Rome, the Italian capital, temperatures are expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) this weekend, one degree short of the record for the city, and in Sicily, they are forecast to reach 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit), just two degrees below the all-time record for the region.
The weather has also been unusually dry, especially in the southern parts of the country. In recent weeks, hotels in Sicily have been turning away visitors because of water shortages. In some parts of the island region, water is available only two or three hours a day, and in some remote parts of the island residents have not had running water for six weeks, sparking protests.
Temperatures and the lack of rainfall in Sicily have been made worse by a series of small- and mid-sized volcanic eruptions from Mt. Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, which is located in the northeastern corner of the island. Ash spewed out by Mt. Etna has darkened clear skies in that part of the island as of Tuesday, forcing officials to close the international airport in Catania due to a lack of visibility.
This increased energy use has placed a strain on the positive trend that has seen Italy become more energy independent since the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, which halted gas supplies from Russia and initially sent prices surging. Since then, Italy has sought to improve its energy autonomy through country-to-country supply contracts and renewable energy plants.
Instead, Italy has been buying energy on European markets, including nuclear energy from its neighbor France. Italy outlawed nuclear energy generation in the 1980s, in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in the then-Soviet Union.
According to the meteorological site Il Meteo, the hot and dry weather in much of Italy is expected to continue well into August.
