Drought threatens half of the European Union
The European Union's Global Drought Observatory said today that the severe drought hitting parts of Europe is being exacerbated by heat waves and a continuous lack of rain.
The French Press Agency (AFP) said that the last monthly report of the observatory highlighted the dangers of the current drought in the soil, once again by the observatory, which issued a warning in its previous report, in which it pointed out that drought threatens about half of the European Union territories, pointing out that the decline in river levels and the decline of water resources affect It generates electricity in power production facilities and reduces agricultural yields.
According to the report, published by the European Commission's Joint Research Center, the severe drought that has hit several parts of Europe since the beginning of the year has widened and worsened as of early August.
The report expected an increase in the risk of drought in large parts of Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Romania and Hungary, and in non-EU countries, namely Britain, Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova.
He said that 17 percent of the territory of Europe is currently listed in the highest alert level, compared to 11 percent last July.
He added that the Mediterranean parts of the European Union must prepare for hotter and drier conditions than usual until next November, expecting that rain will fall at its usual levels in parts of Europe between August and October, but it may not be enough to fully compensate for the shortage that has accumulated over more than half a year. .
He added that the suffering of parts of Spain, Portugal and Croatia from drier than usual weather conditions may continue, and in turn, it is likely that the drought will decrease in the Alps.
The report indicated that the climatic conditions associated with heat waves in Europe in May, June and July were the most severe since 1950.
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