Mediterranean: Drought and water scarcity on the rise
According to the European Earth observation programme Copernicus, the drought in the Mediterranean region persisted throughout the winter months, in some cases leading to water restrictions and drought emergencies.
45% of Southern Europe affected by drought
More than 45 percent of Southern Europe experienced dry soils during the first ten days of February, according to data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO). In 2.8 percent of the area, the highest alert level was reached.
According to Copernicus, a quarter of all of Europe and North Africa is experiencing drought. The winter months brought less precipitation than average to the region. The situation has deteriorated since the end of January, though it is somewhat better than the previous year, when 31.3 percent of the area was affected by drought.
Emergencies in Catalonia and Sicily
The situation is particularly severe in southern Italy, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia and northern Morocco. Compounding the drought are temperatures above the usual average. According to Copernicus, last January was the warmest on record worldwide.
The regional president of the Spanish region of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, described it as a “once-in-a-century drought.” A state of emergency was declared and water restrictions were imposed. The Italian island of Sicily declared a drought emergency at the beginning of February. Morocco, where temperatures recently rose to 37 degrees Celsius, is experiencing its sixth consecutive year of drought.
Above-average temperatures forecast
The EDO has forecast above-average temperatures for Europe and the Mediterranean region for spring 2024. This is expected to be accompanied by reduced snowfall in mountain ranges responsible for replenishing rivers in the coming months. The climate crisis is exacerbating the situation year by year.
