Lfrance is going through a “historic situation”, declared Élisabeth Borne who, to cope with this “exceptional drought […] the worst ever recorded in our country”, decided to activate the interministerial crisis unit on Friday 5 August. This worrying situation, the result of the lack of rain and the consecutive heat waves, notably deprived more than a hundred French municipalities of drinking water. France is not alone in this case, almost half of the European Union (46%) is suffering from an unprecedented drought, reports The Sunday Journal.
Several countries have already announced emergency measures, such as Italy, Greece and Spain, which now limit air conditioning to 27°C in administrative and commercial premises. “Bars, restaurants and companies where the work involves physical exercise will be able to maintain the air conditioning” around 25 ° C, specifies the Minister for the Spanish Ecological Transition, relayed by the JDD.
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Andalusia is now one of the areas most affected by drought. The reservoirs in the basin along the Guadalquivir, which crosses Seville and Cordoba in particular, have only 30% of their maximum capacity left. “Water for the Andalusian economy is like gas for the German economy,” said the region’s president, Juanma Moreno. Many Spanish regions have taken measures to deal with this situation: a ban on filling swimming pools or watering parks. Often hasty measures, evidence of a certain lack of preparation.
El agua is for the economy of #Andalucia as the gas for Germany. Urge actuar.
Proponemos al Gobierno de España complete the hydric infrastructures declared of general interest and aprobar a potente decreto de sequía que sume recursos a los de nuestra comunidad. pic.twitter.com/I4Hh3QodMX
— Juanma Moreno (@JuanMa_Moreno) July 28, 2022
For its part, Italy has drawn rather restrictive measures. Before August 31, it is forbidden to fill your swimming pool, water your vegetable garden or wash your car. In case of non-compliance with these restrictions, the Italians risk a fine of 500 euros. Faced with the lack of water, the government raised more than 36 million euros and rationed hundreds of cities. In Castenaso, where the dryness has reached a critical level, barbers have even been ordered to wash their clients’ hair only once.
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Finland, although less exposed to this risk than Spain or Italy, is still facing an episode of drought for almost six months. Lake Maridal, Oslo’s main source of drinking water, has seen its level drop to 69% of its capacity against 88% usually. The authorities took the lead and did not wait for the summer to act. In May, text messages were sent to residents asking them to reduce their water consumption. This message also included the current water level and good driving tips to limit its use.