Rome, Mar 31 (IANS): Italy is at risk of a drought due to scanty rainfall and may have to ration water this summer, experts said.

The country has seen very few rainy days since last fall and the "precipitations were not enough to fill wells, rivers and reservoirs," climatologist Giampiero Maracchi said.

"From now on, even though it normally rains, the rainwater will not accumulate because evaporation will disperse it," he added.

The situation is caused by climate change that triggered a shift in the trajectory of air masses, Maracchi said adding he was particularly concerned for the Tuscany region.

The Bilancino lake in Tuscany has accumulated only 30 million cubic meters of water, one third of its capacity, while the flow of Arno river was one tenth of its normal.

Other meteorologists also warned of a coming drought, noting that March 2012 was the hottest in the last 15 years, with temperatures in cities such as Milan, Florence and Bologna reaching 26 degrees Celsius.

The northern regions of Veneto and Friuli are taking extraordinary measures to deal with water emergencies, Xinhua reported quoting the ANSA news agency.

Drought will also affect agriculture, damaging crops such as maize, corn, wheat and olive trees.