意大利刚刚经历了65年来最为干旱的冬天，北部多地已经三个月没有降雪或降雨。这迫使一些小镇定量供应用水，居民只有在必要情况下才能用水，否则就要被处以最高500欧元的罚款。

 

People living in some northern Italian towns face fines for wasting water as mayors ration¹ supplies amid a severe drought.

意大利几个北部小镇发生了严重旱灾，镇长们决定定量供应用水，居民浪费水将面临罚款。

 

Italy has had one of its driest winters in the last 65 years, with rainfall 80% lower than the seasonal² average. The situation has been more acute in northern regions, where some areas have been deprived of significant rainfall for three months or more. The Po, the country's longest river, is at its lowest level recorded in winter since 1972.

意大利刚经历了过去65年来最干旱的一个冬天，降雨量比季节平均水平低了80%。意大利北部地区的干旱更为严重，一些地区已经至少有三个月没怎么下雨了。意大利最长河流波河的水位已经将至1972年以来的冬季最低水平。

 

Mayors of towns in regions including Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy and Trentino have introduced water-rationing measures, ranging from fountains being switched off and nightly restrictions³ on tap water to bans on using water for gardens and allotments, for washing cars and filling swimming pools.

皮德蒙特、利古利亚、伦巴第和特伦蒂诺等地区的镇长都推出了一系列定量供水措施，包括关闭饮水器、限制夜间使用自来水、禁止将花园和土地用水用于洗车或给游泳池充水。

 

Fines of up to €500 are in place for those deemed to be squandering⁴ supplies.

浪费用水的居民将被处以最高500欧元（约合人民币3500元）的罚款。

 

"I don't ever recall a situation of this kind in winter. We haven't had any rain since 8 December," said Francesco Pietrasanta, the mayor of Quarona, a town in Piedmont. "There are issues with water wells, some areas have had to be supplied by water tanks. The rule is to only use water for real necessity, such as for hygiene⁵ or food reasons."

皮德蒙特区夸罗纳镇的镇长弗朗西斯科·彼得拉桑塔说：“我不记得以前的冬天出现过这种情况。自从12月8日以来我们这里就没下过一滴雨。水井枯竭了，部分地区不得不用水箱供水。我们规定，只有在真正有必要的时候才能用水，比如出于卫生或饮食目的。”

 

In Bajardo, a village in Liguria, the water supply to taps has been switched off between 8pm and 8am. Its mayor, Francesco Laura, said he had no choice. "The springs have dried up," he told La Stampa. "The water from the mountains no longer comes, and in the village the little that comes from taps is used for cooking and washing." Laura said there had been little or no rain in the village since October 2020.

在利古利亚区巴亚尔多的一个村庄，晚8点到早8点之间的自来水供应被切断。镇长弗朗西斯科·劳拉表示，他没有选择的余地。他告诉《新闻报》说：“泉水枯竭了。山上的水源没有了，村里的一点自来水只能用于煮饭和清洗。”劳拉说，自从2020年10月以来村里就几乎不下雨了。

 

The winter drought followed an intense, protracted⁶ heatwave across Italy last summer. In August, Siracusa in Sicily is believed to have broken the European record for the highest temperature when it recorded a figure of 48.8C. Snowfall has also been below average this winter.

在这个干旱的冬天之前，去年夏季意大利各地经历了严重而持久的热浪。去年8月，西西里岛的锡拉库萨温度达到了48.8摄氏度，据认为打破了欧洲有史以来的高温纪录。今冬意大利的降雪量也低于平均水平。

 

Scientists have long predicted that the climate crisis and global heating would lead to more frequent extreme weather.

很早以前，科学家就预测，气候危机和全球变暖会导致更频繁的极端天气。

 

"It hasn't snowed and it hasn't rained in six months," Massimo Niero, the mayor of Cisano sul Neva, in Liguria, told the local newspaper, Il Vostro Giornale. "There will be problems in the summer."

利古利亚区奇萨诺镇镇长马西莫·涅罗告诉当地报纸《Il Vostro Giornale》说：“已经6个月不下雪也不下雨了。今年夏天肯定会出问题。”

 

Rain is forecast in the north and the rest of Italy from Wednesday, although Pietrasanta said it would need to be significant to resolve the water shortage.

天气预报称，从周三起意大利北部和其他地区会有降雨，但是彼得拉桑塔表示，降雨量要够大才能解决缺水问题。

 

"We might get some rain on Friday but I'm not sure it will be enough," he said. "This situation ought to make us think about changing policy to manage water in a different way, especially with climate change."

他说：“周五我们这里可能会下雨，但我不确定降水量是否足够。在这种缺水的情况下，我们应该考虑改变政策，用不同的方式来管理水资源，尤其是在气候变化的大背景下。”

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