Brussels, May 17 (BNA) Southern Europe is preparing for a summer of severe drought, with some regions already suffering from water shortages and farmers expecting their worst harvests in decades.
Reuters reports that climate change is making the region hotter and drier, depleting groundwater reserves for years on end.
The soil has become very dry in Spain, southern France and Italy. Falling river and reservoir levels threaten hydroelectric production this summer.
As temperatures head into summer, scientists warn Europe is on track for another brutal summer, after suffering one of its hottest temperatures last year – which fueled a drought that EU researchers said was the worst in at least 500 years.
So far this year, the situation has been more dire in Spain.
“The drought situation will get worse this summer,” said Jorge Olsena, a professor of geographic analysis at the University of Alicante in Spain.
There is little chance at this point of precipitation that the underlying drought will resolve as well. “At this time of year, the only thing we can get are micro-storms and localized storms that won’t solve the lack of rain,” Olsina said.
ZHB