Vatican turns off fountains

to help drought-stricken

The Vatican has turned off around 100 fountains due to a prolonged

drought starving Rome of water. Pictured: St Peter's

Square at the Vatican

The Vatican has turned off around 100 fountains, including two

Baroque masterpieces in St Peter's Square, due to a prolonged

drought starving Rome of water.

Suffocating summer heat, coupled with two years of

below-average rainfall, has forced the Italian capital to close

drinking fountains and consider water rationing.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said it was the first time

authorities in the spiritual home of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics

could remember being forced to turn off the fountains.

Standing in St Peter's Square, where two fountains by

17th-century sculptors Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo

Bernini stood dry, Burke said the Vatican wanted to help.

'This is the Vatican's way of living solidarity with Rome,

trying to help Rome get through this crisis,' he said.

All 100 of the Vatican's fountains will be turned off gradually

over the coming days.

Rome is gasping after 72 per cent less rain than normal fell

in July, according to Sky Italia's weather TV channel.

Suffocating summer heat, coupled with two years of below-average

rainfall, has forced the Italian capital to close drinking fountains and

consider water rationing. Pictured: St Peter's Square in the Vatican

Rome is gasping after 72 per cent less rain than normal fell

in July, coupled with intense summer heat

There was 74 per cent less than normal in June, and a 56

percent reduction from the long-term average across March,

April and May.

Caring for the planet and its resources is an important issue

for Pope Francis, who demanded swift action by world leaders

in the first ever papal document dedicated

to the environment.

'This decision is very much in line with the pope's thinking on

ecology: you can't waste and sometimes you have to be

willing to make a sacrifice,' Burke said.

(The Mail, UK)