意大利剛剛經歷了65年來最為干旱的冬天，北部多地已經三個月沒有降雪或降雨。這迫使一些小鎮定量供應用水，居民只有在必要情況下才能用水，否則就要被處以最高500歐元的罰款。

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

意大利幾個北部小鎮發生了嚴重旱災，鎮長們決定定量供應用水，居民浪費水將面臨罰款。

Italy has had one of its driest winters in the last 65 years, with rainfall 80% lower than the seasonal 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.

意大利剛經歷了過去65年來最干旱的一個冬天，降雨量比季節平均水平低了80%。意大利北部地區的干旱更為嚴重，一些地區已經至少有三個月沒怎么下雨了。意大利最長河流波河的水位已經降至1972年以來的冬季最低水平。

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

皮德蒙特、利古利亞、倫巴第和特倫蒂諾等地區的鎮長都推出了一系列定量供水措施，包括關閉飲水器、限制夜間使用自來水、禁止將花園和土地用水用于洗車或給游泳池充水。

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

浪費用水的居民將被處以最高500歐元（約合人民幣3500元）的罰款。

"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 hygiene or food reasons.”

皮德蒙特區夸羅納鎮的鎮長弗朗西斯科·彼得拉桑塔說：“我不記得以前的冬天出現過這種情況。自從12月8日以來我們這里就沒下過一滴雨。水井枯竭了，部分地區不得不用水箱供水。我們規定，只有在真正有必要的時候才能用水，比如出于衛生或飲食目的。”

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.

在利古利亞區巴亞爾多的一個村莊，晚8點到早8點之間的自來水供應被切斷。鎮長弗朗西斯科·勞拉表示，他沒有選擇的余地。他告訴《新聞報》說：“泉水枯竭了。山上的水源沒有了，村里的一點自來水只能用于煮飯和清洗。”勞拉說，自從2020年10月以來村里就幾乎不下雨了。

The winter drought followed an intense, protracted 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.

在這個干旱的冬天之前，去年夏季意大利各地經歷了嚴重而持久的熱浪。去年8月，西西里島的錫拉庫薩溫度達到了48.8攝氏度，據認為打破了歐洲有史以來的高溫紀錄。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，科學家就預測，氣候危機和全球變暖會導致更頻繁的極端天氣。

"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.”

利古利亞區奇薩諾鎮鎮長馬西莫·涅羅告訴當地報紙《Il Vostro Giornale》說：“已經6個月不下雪也不下雨了。今年夏天肯定會出問題。”

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.

天氣預報稱，從周三起意大利北部和其他地區會有降雨，但是彼得拉桑塔表示，降雨量要夠大才能解決缺水問題。

"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.”

他說：“周五我們這里可能會下雨，但我不確定降水量是否足夠。在這種缺水的情況下，我們應該考慮改變政策，用不同的方式來管理水資源，尤其是在氣候變化的大背景下。”

英文來源：衛報

翻譯&編輯：丹妮