France and England experienced driest July on record exacerbating water shortage

As per the weather services of France and England, July was the driest on record, which exacerbated the shortage of water that has led to the restrictions. Water firms are finding it difficult to adapt to the dry circumstances. The third heatwave is expected to hit this summer on Monday in the southeast before moving to Paris.

Just 9.7 millimetres of rain fell in France this month, which is suffering from a severe drought that has crippled farmers and forced broad restrictions on the use of water, as per Meteo France. According to the EPA, that was 84 per cent below the average levels seen for July between 1991 and 2022, making it the second-driest month since March 1961.

The average amount of rain in England as a whole was 23.1 millimetres, which is the seventh-lowest monthly total since the year 1953. The record-breaking high temperatures, which peaked at 40 degrees Celsius in the country, coincided with the minimal rainfall in both countries. The majority of England has entered a state of prolonged dry weather.

Most climate experts agree that the earth is warming as a result of carbon emissions from people burning fossil fuels, potentially increasing the severity of droughts, heatwaves, and other weather events.

Due to dry grasslands, farmers in France are having trouble feeding the animals, and irrigation has been prohibited due to lack of water. Commercial boats on the eastern river Rhine, which forms the boundary between France and Germany, are forced to operate at a third of their carrying capacity in order to avoid hitting the bottom due to extremely low water levels.

(With inputs from agencies)

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