According to the European Commission, the current drought could be the worst "for at least 500 years." Large swaths of the continent are now in a state of drought alert or drought warning.
Due to the drought, sunflower yields in Europe in 2022 are expected to be 12% below the average of the previous five yearsImage: DW
The drought may be the worst "for at least 500 years," European Commission spokesperson Johannes Bahrke said on Tuesday.
"This is of course only a first assessment, and we need to confirm this with final data at the end of the season," Bahrke said, referring to the report, which was published on Monday.
Details of the EU report on drought
According to the report, 47% of Europe is under warning conditions, with a clear deficit of soil moisture. A further 17% is in a state of alert, in which vegetation is affected.
Scarce rain and successive heat waves that began in May have affected river discharges and water levels.
"The severe drought affecting many regions of Europe since the beginning of the year has been further expanding and worsening as of early August," the report found.
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What are the consequences of the drought in Europe?
The dry conditions have already affected inland waterway transport, power generation and yields of certain crops in Europe.
Low water levels have forced shippers to reduce their loads on waterways such as the Rhine. Reduced water volumes have also adversely affected the energy sector for both hydropower generation and cooling systems of other power plants.
Summer crops have suffered, with 2022 yields for grain maize set to be 16% lower than the average of the previous five years and soybean and sunflowers yields set to fall by 15% and 12%, respectively.
"Soil moisture and vegetation stress are both severely affected," the report found, listing over a dozen countries where drought hazard has been increasing, including Germany, France and Britain. "The rest of Europe, already affected by drought, maintains stable severely dry conditions," according to the report.
Supply chains at risk as Rhine dries up
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Asit Biswas, visiting professor at the University of Glasgow, told DW said that the water crisis is a "crisis of management."
"We have plenty of water for everything we want," Biswas said, adding that management over the last several decades has been unsustainable.
"We have really poor management all over the world, and we're blaming it on water scarcity," he said. He argued that even with climate change and prolonged droughts and floods, better management would allow humanity to weather the crisis.
"There are some places now [where] they're losing 60% of water" due to faulty infrastructure, Biswas said.
Biswas argued that lawmakers "only get interested when there is a prolonged drought or a prolonged flood." "The moment the flood disappears, water disappears from the agenda."
Conditions will not improve in coming months
Regions where conditions are deteriorating the most are those that were already affected by drought in spring 2022 — including northern Italy, southeastern France, and some areas of Hungary and Romania — according to the report.
Researchers forecast that conditions in the western Euro-Mediterranean region are likely to be warmer and drier than normal through November.
Britain will also need to continue to manage water resources carefully over the coming weeks and months to meet its needs following the driest summer for 50 years, the National Drought Group announced on Tuesday.
According to the group, which is made up of government officials, water companies and environmental organizations, there is enough water for all essential household and business needs. Ten of the Environment Agency's 14 areas in England are now in drought status.
dh/rt (dpa, Reuters)
Climate crisis: A world lacking water
Rising temperatures and extreme heat have left countries around the world parched. From China to California and Ethiopia to the UK, drought has taken hold. An overview in pictures.
Image: CFOTO/picture alliance
Famine risk on the Horn of Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are currently experiencing their worst drought in over 40 years after successive failed rainy seasons. The dry conditions have led to a severe food security issue in the region, with 22 million people at risk of starvation. More than 1 million people have been forced to leave their homes during the drought, which is expected to continue for months.
Image: Eduardo Soteras/AFP/Getty Images
Yangtze River dries up
The riverbeds of the world's third-longest river are now exposed during China's record-breaking drought. Low water levels are having an impact on shipping and hydropower, with electricity from the Three Gorges Dam down 40% from last year. In an effort to limit electricity use, some shopping malls are reducing opening hours and factories are rationing power.
Image: Chinatopix/AP/picture alliance
Rainfall a rarity in Iraq
Iraq, classified as particularly vulnerable to climate change and desertification, is battling its third successive year of drought. Vast areas of the country's southern marshlands, a UNESCO World Heritage site because of their biodiversity and ancient history, have now dried up. The ongoing drought has contributed to a 17% contraction of its agricultural sector over the past year.
Image: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP
Water restrictions in the United States
The Colorado River and its reservoirs run low after over two decades of drought — believed to be the worst in more than 1,000 years. The iconic river flows through the southwest of the United States and into Mexico, supplying millions of people and vast areas of farmland. Below-average rainfall has led to increasing restrictions on water use, including limiting outdoor watering in Los Angeles.
Image: John Locher/AP Photo/picture alliance
47% of Europe under threat of drought
Europe has seen intense heat waves, little rain and wildfires. Almost half of the continent is now threatened by drought — which experts believe could be the worst in 500 years. Major rivers including the Rhine, Po and Loire have dwindled, and low water levels have had an impact on the transport of goods and energy production. Dry, hot conditions have baked European farmland and wilted crops.
Image: Ronan Houssin/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Hosepipe bans in UK
Several parts of England were officially moved into drought status in August after the country experienced its driest July since 1935. Authorities also registered Britain's hottest temperature ever on July 19, at 40.2 degrees Celsius (104.3 F) — and over a quarter of river flows were classified as exceptionally low. A number of hosepipe bans are being rolled out during August across the country.
Image: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Wire/IMAGO
Spain's prehistoric past uncovered
During Europe's summer of extreme weather, Spain has been particularly hard-hit by drought and heatwaves. The conditions have helped fuel the intense wildfires that have forced thousands of people to evacuate across the country and burned over 280,000 hectares (700,000 acres) of land. Receding water levels at one dam revealed a prehistoric stone circle — dubbed the "Spanish Stonehenge."
Image: Manu Fernandez/AP Photo/picture alliance
Adapting to a drier world
From Tokyo to Cape Town, many countries and cities are adapting to cope with increasingly dry and hot conditions. And the solutions don't necessarily need to be high-tech. In Senegal, farmers are planting circular gardens that allow roots to grow inward, trapping precious water in the region's rare downpours. In Chile and Morocco, people use nets to capture water from fog.
Image: ZOHRA BENSEMRA/REUTERS
Cities fight to stay hydrated
After Cape Town, South Africa, narrowly avoided running out of water in 2018, the city introduced measures to combat drought. One solution has been to remove invasive species such as pine and eucalyptus, which soak up much more water than native plants like the fynbos shrub. The nature-based approach has helped save billions of liters of water.
