After a long absence of rain, 46% of the territory of the European Union (EU) is at risk of drought. The announcement was made this Monday (18), at a time when the continent was experiencing an intense heatwave.
According to the Joint Research Centre, a scientific research service of the European Commission, 46% of the block area has a significant deficiency in soil moisture. According to the group’s July report, about 11% are on alert as vegetation and crops weaken from thirst.
The document points out that the Po River basin in northern Italy is facing its worst condition in 70 years. Five Italian regions are experiencing “intense drought”: Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont.
Along with Portugal, Spain, France and Romania, Italy also experiences “water and thermal stress”. According to the European Commission’s expert group, these countries “will face a decline in crop productivity.”
To a lesser extent, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia were also affected. German climate and environment ministries announced this Monday the cost of heatwaves and drought in 2018 and 2019. 35 billion to the country
The situation is also difficult in the Iberian Peninsula, where there are “favorable conditions for forest fires”, according to a statement from the Joint Research Center. “The amount of water stored in reservoirs in Spain is now 31% below the average of the last decade,” they say.
Heat waves disrupt water levels
Heat waves in Europe in June and July exacerbate an already critical situation after a significant precipitation deficit in winter and spring. “River levels have been severely affected in several countries. Volumes of stored water are depleted. This could result in extraordinary measures to be taken to manage water and energy,” warn scientists from the European Commission.
In June, power generation from thermal and nuclear power plants located on the banks of the rivers was well below the 2015 to 2021 average for many countries in the bloc, including Italy, France and Portugal. The report emphasizes that the same phenomenon has been recorded in hydroelectric power plants in Norway, Spain, Romania, Montenegro and Bulgaria, which were affected by the decrease in water reserves.
(With information from AFP)
source: Noticias
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