蜜芽传媒

Northern Italy is suffering its worst drought in 70 years. The lack of water is affecting the area surrounding the Po, Italy's longest river, which is responsible for around a third of the country's agricultural production.

Now the region has declared a state of emergency in response to the crisis.

Journalist Giulia Palmieri says some cities in Italy have even enforced restrictions on how much water can be used at different times of the day.

Speaking about the current drought, she says "It's a big problem for farmers and companies, in the area where the state of the emergency is, that means five regions in the north part of Italy, work (around) 250,000 farmers, so that's a big problem with this drought."

Photo: A farmer shows how drought has dried out his field in Milan, Italy. Credit: EPA