Europe hit by worst drought in 500 years; Warnings issued in more than half of the locations
Brussels: Europe faces worst drought in 500 years The European Union agency said on Tuesday that electricity production, shipping and yields are falling and two-thirds of the continent is on alert.
The European Drought Observatory (EDO), led by the European Commission, released the report in August. According to this, 47 percent of places in Europe are under warning due to a decrease in soil moisture. Also 17 percent of places are under warning due to drought affecting agriculture.
“Many parts of Europe were hit by severe drought this year. “It has further developed and worsened since early August,” reports said, adding that the western Europe-Mediterranean region is likely to experience warmer and drier conditions than normal.
According to this report, it is indicated that the situation in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine and Ireland is getting worse.
Much of Europe faced scorching temperatures for weeks. It was at its worst this past summer. This worsened the drought and caused wildfires. Following this, health warnings were given to the people. He also called for more action to tackle climate change.
Europe is currently experiencing the worst drought in at least 500 years. A significant decrease in the agricultural sector has been recorded in 2022 due to severe drought. This year’s maize yield was 16% lower than the average yield of the last five years. Also soybean and sunflower yields were reduced by 12 percent to 15 percent.
Hydropower generation has also been severely affected by the drought. Current reports indicate that other energy producers will be more affected due to lack of water for feed cooling systems.
Inland shipping was greatly hampered by the drastically reduced water levels in the rivers. Decline in shipping loads affects exports and imports of coal, oil etc.
Although rains received in mid-August have eased the current conditions, further damage is said to have been caused by thundershowers at some places.
Content Highlight: Europe is facing a worst draught in 500 years
