Explained: Venice’s famous canals are drying up, here’s why

This is unusual for Venice because it is known that the city often suffers from flooding

Hyderabad: Making Venice one of the best tourist destinations in the whole of Europe, the canals that are almost present in every part of the city play a vital role – not just by adding beauty, but by also aiding in transportation.

Venice is a collection of many small islands, all connected by water transport. Also, automobiles are rarely used in the city as they are banned in most parts, thus the importance of the canals.

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But lately, these very canals in the region have been drying up. This is unusual for Venice because it is known that the city often suffers from flooding. In fact, in 2019 it witnessed the worst floods in recent times.

But why are these canals drying up? The reason, experts say, is prolonged long spells of low tides and lack of rain.

In 2022, Italy experienced its worst drought in 70 years which forced authorities to declare a state of emergency in some areas. It is viewed that the region was not able to recuperate from its after-effects yet.

Italy’s longest river Po and largest lake, Lake Garda, are also suffering from low water levels, adding to the concern. Several organisations dealing with the matter say that the situation will worsen in the coming days and it is important that the city be ready to face another emergency-like situation.