On Sunday, 19th January 2014, part of the Secchia river bank collapsed, flooding the countryside in the Modena areas of Bastiglia and Bomporto.
At least 200 commercial farms were affected, as the area is one of the most productive grape and PGI pear growing areas.
According to Coldiretti, "at the moment, 2,000 hectares are flooded". Roots are completely underwater and there is the risk of plants dying of asphyxia.
At the same time, storing structures are also not in working condition, as for example Fruit Modena Group had to switch all cold storage units off because of the water.
"The state of natural disaster must be declared so that agriculture can start over in these areas," says Coldiretti.
Damages have not been assessed yet, as many commercial farms are still unreachable. "It is impossible to make an estimate, as the situation changes every hour. I can only say that growers have been hit hard," says Eugenia Bergamaschi, chairman of Confagricoltura Modena. This is true especially in light of the fact that the area was hit by an earthquake in 2012.
Below chart in Italian
In the meantime, technicians are working to repair the bank and stop water from flooding the fields and towns.