France is experiencing a lack of rainfall, and is now in its third heat wave this summer. The dry and hot weather has created problems for farmers, but also for the ecosystem and biological diversity, reports the French meteorological institute Météo-France, according to AFP. The drought will be the worst ever in France, and almost all the counties now have restrictions on the use of water. On Friday, the French government also set up a crisis team to coordinate the efforts. – This is the worst drought we have recorded in this country. This may continue for two more weeks, and may even get worse, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement on Friday. French authorities have received criticism for giving golf facilities an exemption from the watering ban that has been introduced in large parts of France. Photo: ALAIN JOCARD / AFP Yellow leaves On Sunday, temperatures well above 30 degrees are expected in several places in France. And it will remain like this for several days to come, according to the French meteorologists. – The maximum temperatures will probably stay between 32 and 36 degrees for several days to come in large parts of the country, says Météo-France. In several French parks there is already an autumn atmosphere. The picture was taken on 6 August in the Parc de Saint Cloud in Paris. Photo: JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP In the south of France, taps are now dry, and the government is now working to get drinking water out to the hardest hit areas. The extreme drought has led to very low levels in lakes and waterways. Several parks have already acquired autumn colors because the leaves on trees and bushes have started to turn yellow and fall off. Rice crops in danger Several other European countries also have extreme heat, drought and water restrictions. In Italy, the production of wine and olive oil is truga. Farmers in the Po valley say crops of risotto rice may be destroyed for several years to come due to increased salt content in the soil, which kills the plants, reports Euronews. Drought and increased salt content in the soil threaten the rice crop in the Po valley in Italy. Photo: Luca Bruno / AP The Netherlands is a major exporter of agricultural goods. But water shortages have meant that irrigation bans have been introduced for farmers in several regions. The danger of a bad autumn in agriculture also worries the EU. This week, the European Commission went out and encouraged the members to think again, and become better at managing their water resources. Among the measures they propose is to use purified waste water from the cities for irrigation in agriculture.
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