National and regional story (Italy) - Joint efforts against water shortages – River Lavant valley in Carinthia

The River Lavant valley region in Carinthia shows low precipitation, a limited number of springs that can be used for water supply, and small pore volumes for storing water. The region has been affected by water shortages during hot summers. Thus, adaptation activities targeted to secure water resources for the public water supply have already been carried out in the past. The reasons for taking adaptation actions are driven by concrete effects and socio-economic impacts rather than climate change aspects.
So far, the River Lavant valley has been able to adapt to water shortage through the following adaptation activities:
-    establishment of an organisational arrangement for water supply, namely the water association network Lavant valley;
-    management of the water demand through providing information for water users;
-    awareness raising for water resource issues and individual initiatives for adaptation activities;
-    participation in research projects to enhance awareness of climate change impacts and possible strategies.
     Due to projected climate change impacts for the southern part of the Alps, it can be expected that water resource problems will increase in the future. At the moment, further adaptation actions addressing the additional pressures caused by climate change are under discussion in the River Lavant valley. If the area is to successfully adopt adaptation actions to deal with changing water resource issues due to climate change, an explicit political will and a clear mandate for the establishment of interregional cooperation are necessary premises.