Low tides and drought: Why have Venice’s famous canals gone dry?

Low tides and drought: Why have Venice’s famous canals gone dry?

Subject: Geography

Section: Places in News 

Context: Some of Venice’s iconic secondary canals have almost dried up in the past few days, rendering it impossible for water taxis, gondolas and even ambulance boats to navigate.

Details:
Experts say the reason is a prolonged spell of low tides coupled with the lack of rain.

In 2019, it witnessed the worst floods since 1966, resulting in damage worth hundreds of millions of euros.

Reason for drying up of canals:

• Weather analysts believe that a high-pressure system is stuck over the region, which has created low tides, leading to low water levels.
• However, researchers say the root cause is the drought-like situation in Italy, especially in its northern parts.

Water crisis in Italy:

• Italy has been seeing a severe shortage of water in its rivers and lakes.
• In 2022, Italy experienced its worst drought in 70 years and authorities declared a state of emergency in several northern areas.
• Italian Alps have received about half the normal snowfall during this winter.
• Italy’s longest river, the Po, which travels from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea, has 61 per cent less water than normal at this time of year.
• Its largest lake, Lake Garda, also has low water levels.

Worst Drought in Europe:

• After the record-breaking summer heat, 2022 was the worst drought year in Europe in 500 years. Large rivers have been reduced to shallow streams, hitting power generation.
• Some of Europe’s biggest rivers — Rhine, Po, Loire, Danube — which are usually formidable waterways, are unable to support even mid-sized boats.
• Causes include:
  • Significant deviation from normal weather patterns.
  • Prolonged heatwave
  • Unusually high temperatures have led to increased evaporation of surface water and soil moisture.
• Impact of drought:
  • Damage to transport and tourism sector.
  • Electricity shortages leading to increased energy prices.
  • Food has become sharply more expensive
  • Agriculture has also been affected badly

Important rivers of Europe:

River	Description	Map
Volga river	The Volga River is about 3,531 km in length and is the longest river on the European continent. The Volga is also widely considered as the National River of the Russian Federation. It originates in the Valdai Hills and flows through the central part of Russia to its southern part where it eventually drains into the Caspian Sea. The Volga River is fed by numerous tributaries, notable among which are Sura, Oka, Vetluga, and Kama. During Soviet rule, many hydroelectric reservoirs were built on the Volga River. Some of these reservoirs are Volgograd, Saratov, Uglich, Gorky, and Cheboksary.
Denube river	The Danube River has a length of about 2,850 km and is considered the second-longest river in the European continent. It rises at the confluence of the Brigach and Breg rivers, near the German town of Donaueschingen in the Black Forest region of Germany. The river flows across major portions of central and southeastern Europe, passing through the 10 European nations of Germany, Austria, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Moldova. There are many tributaries of the Danube river including Lech, Isar, Inn, Enns, Rába, Drava, Mlava, etc. The Danube River finally drains into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta.
Dnieper River	The Dnieper River has a length of about 2,200 km and is the fourth-longest river in Europe. It originates in the Valdai Hills located near the Russian city of Smolensk. The river then flows in a southerly direction through the western part of the Russian Federation and the European nations of Belarus and Ukraine before draining into the Black Sea. It has been estimated that there are more than 32,000 tributaries of the Dnieper River. Some of these tributaries are Berezina, Bilozerka, Drut, Desna, Prypiat, Sozh, Myareya, Samara, Sula, and Vyazma.
Don river	The Don River has a length of about 1,870 km and is the fifth-longest river in Europe. It originates in the Russian Tula oblast near the city of Novomoskovsk. It then flows in a southeasterly direction towards the Volga river, but abruptly turns in the west to join the Gulf of Taganrog in the Sea of Azov. Some of the tributaries of the Don River include Chir, Seversky Donets, Chyornaya Kalitva, Krasivaya Mecha, Khopyor, and Medveditsa. The 101 km-long Lenin Volga-Don Shipping Canal links the Don River with the Volga River.
Elbe River	The Elbe River has a length of about 1,112-km and originates in the southern part of the Krkonose Mountains which is located near the boundary between Poland and the Czech Republic. It then flows through Bohemia in the northwestern part of the Czech Republic and enters Germany through its eastern side and finally ends in the North Sea near the town of Cuxhaven. Some of the major tributaries of the Elbe River include Saale, Mulde, Ohre, Vltava, Schwarze Elster, Havel, and Alster.
Loire River	The Loire River has a length of about 1,006 km and is recognized as France’s longest river. It rises from the foothills of the Massif Central in the Cévennes mountain range which is located in the French department of Ardéche. It then flows across the northern and western areas of France and finally drains into the Bay of Biscay. Some of the major tributaries of the Loire river include Erdre, Nièvre, Maine, Cher, Vienne, Sèvre Nantaise, Allier and Indre. Located in the central part of the Loire river valley is the Forest of Orléans which encompasses an area of 94,480 acres and is considered as the largest forest in France. About 164 bird species and 57 fish species are found in the Loire River basin.
Oder river	The Oder River has a length of about 840 km and is the second-longest river in Poland. It originates in the rugged mountains of the eastern Czech Republic and flows through the western part of Poland where it forms a border between Poland and Germany. The main branch of the river empties into the Szczecin Lagoon and its other three branches, the Peene, Świna, and Dziwna drains into the Baltic Sea.
Po river	The Po River has a length of about 652 km and is Italy’s longest river. It rises from the upper reaches of the Cottian Alps and flows from west to east across the northern portion of Italy and eventually drains into the Adriatic Sea. The Po River flows through several major Italian cities including Cremona, Milan, Ferrara, Piacenza, and Turin. The cities of Milan and Turin, which serve as major industrial centers in the country, utilize the waters of the Po River for industrial purposes. The river is fed by a total of 141 tributaries such as Rotaldo, Pellice, Grana del Monferrato, Nure, Adda, Chisola, and Dora Riparia.
Tagus river	The Tagus River measures about 1,007 km long and is the Iberian Peninsula’s longest river. It originates from the Montes Universales mountain range in the eastern part of Spain and flows westwards across the country. It then enters Portugal and flows in the southwestward direction before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near the Portuguese capital city of Lisbon. Some of the major tributaries of the Tagus river include Gallo, Alberche, Jarama, Alagón, Algodor, Guadiela, Ibor, and Almonte.
Shannon river	The Shannon River has a length of about 360.5 km and is the Republic of Ireland’s longest river. It rises from the Shannon Pot, a small pool on the slopes of the Cuilcagh Mountain. The river then flows southwards through a series of lakes and turns west to eventually drain into the Atlantic Ocean via the Shannon Estuary. The river passes through 11 Irish counties that are situated in the massive Shannon River Basin that covers about one-fifth of the total land area of Ireland.
Rhone river	The Rhône River has a length of about 813 km and originates in the Rhône Glacier of the Swiss Alps. This fast-flowing river flows into the eastern end of Lake Geneva and then moves in the southward direction through the southeastern part of France. Before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea, the Rhone river divides into two sections, namely the Great Rhône and Little Rhône, at the French city of Arles.
Rhine river	The Rhine River has a length of about 1,230 km and originates from the southeastern part of the Swiss Alps in the Canton of Grisons, Switzerland. The river then flows northwards through the large Rhine Valley and forms the international boundary between Switzerland and Liechtenstein and later the boundary between Switzerland and Austria. In Austria, the river flows into Lake Constance. The river then flows westwards out of the lake as High Rhine and forms Switzerland’s northeastern border with Germany. The river then falls over 22 m and is then known as the Rhine Falls. In the city of Basel in Switzerland, the river turns in the northward direction and is referred to as the Upper Rhine. This part of the river forms the boundary between Germany and France. Then, the Rhine flows into the Netherlands where it is divided into three branches (Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt). The river then finally empties into the North Sea. Some of the notable tributaries of the Rhine river include Aare, Tamina, Moselle, Erft, Rein da Tuma, Plessur, Rotach, and Wiese. The principal cities that are located along the Rhine river include Düsseldorf, Basel, Rotterdam, Cologne, and Strasbourg.