Weeks of dry winter weather have sparked concerns that Italy could be facing another drought after last year’s state of emergency, with the Alps receiving less than half the usual amount of snow, according to scientists and environmental groups.

Italy’s rivers and lakes are suffering from severe water shortages, environmental group Legambiente reported today, with attention turning to the north of the country.

The Po, Italy’s longest river, which flows through the country from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic, has 61% less water than usual at this time of year, according to the organization.

Last July, Italy declared a state of emergency for the regions around the Po, which account for about a third of the country’s agricultural production and have experienced the worst drought in 70 years.

“We are in a situation of water scarcity that is escalating from the winter of 2020-2021,” said Massimiliano Pascui, an environmentalist from the Italian scientific institute CNR, according to Corriere della Sera newspaper.

“We need to recover 500 millimeters in the northwestern regions: we need 50 days of rain,” he added.

Water levels in Lake Garda in northern Italy have fallen to historic lows, revealing a land corridor through which one can walk to the lake’s small islet of San Biaggio.

For the last 15 days, an anti-cyclone has prevailed in Western Europe, resulting in mild temperatures that are normally recorded at the end of spring. However, according to the latest forecasts, the necessary rainfall and snowfall are expected in the Alps in the coming days.