Sustainability

Earth

Landscapes

Floods

In Italy watercourses are often characterized by dry periods and short but intense floods due to heavy precipitations. The water rise provokes an increase in the water running speed. As a consequence, the water goes out of its banks. Deforestation, fires, buildings in risky areas are some of the reasons why these phenomena occur (see image). The waters of the Po river run inside the artificial banks that stretch for 510 km, out of 652 km of the river total length. In this way the danger of sudden floods increases, the water goes over the artificial banks and invades the nearby areas by provoking serious damages to agriculture and inhabited centres.