Rome, June 28 (TIWN) Italy's most populous region of Lombardy said it will turn off public fountains and urged residents to be "extremely thrifty" when it comes to water use, in order to reduce the impacts of the worst water crisis ever.

"We have never seen a drought as serious as the one we are seeing this year," Lombardy Regional President Attilio Fontana said.  Fontana signed an emergency decree on June 24, though the text was only published on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.