Hot days continue to be recorded this summer in several European countries. River transport, milk production… The drought continues to have an impact on many sectors.
In England, a large part of the territory is officially in a state of drought. The National Council has raised the alert level, hitherto placed at “ very dry weather “. This measure, declared for the first time since 2018, concerns large areas including London. In large parts of England, it has not rained for weeks, and the grass in the parks is yellow from the sun, reports our correspondent in London, Emily Wine. Announced after an emergency meeting convened by the environmental agency, this measure comes in the middle of a heat wave in the United Kingdom, the second of the summer, in a country unaccustomed to high temperatures. According to scientists, these episodes will multiply, lengthen and intensify under the effect of global warming.
An amber alert” extreme heat has been ongoing since Thursday across most of southern England and part of Wales. ” It is above all an acknowledgment of the gravity of the situation, comments Jamie Hannaford, hydrologist, interviewed by the BBC. The environmental agency and water suppliers have been preparing for this for some time: rivers are exceptionally low across the country, and July was the driest since records began in 1836 in several regions. It really is an extreme summer. If the absolute record of 40.3°C reached on July 20 will not be equaled, temperatures of up to 35°C are expected on Friday, and even 36°C during the weekend.
Water suppliers can prohibit the use of garden hoses, but also the washing of cars or the filling of swimming pools for individuals, this is the case in several regions of the south and east. One of the water distribution network operators, Yorkshire Waters, announced such a measure from August 26, joining several other companies in the country.
But more than consumers, it is the institutions that are targeted by the alert: “ My teams within the environmental agency and I will monitor more water-stressed areas, says John Curtin of the Environmental Agency. For example, we will pump oxygen into certain rivers to raise the levels for fish. We are also changing our approach. Take this as a warning, this summer is not a normal summer and we should all responsibly rethink our water usage. It will take several months and a very rainy autumn, according to meteorologists, to emerge from the state of drought in England.
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River transport threatened by the drop in the level of the Rhine
The level of the Rhine at the Kaub measuring point in Germany, a benchmark used to judge its navigability, fell below the 40 centimeter level on Friday, considered necessary for much of the river transport. The prospect of a partial stoppage of traffic on this river, one of the busiest in the world, constitutes a new headache for German industry, already tested by the Russian gas crisis and the surge in energy prices in the process. of the war in Ukraine.
The gauge, about 30 kilometers south of Koblenz, fell to 38 centimeters in the early evening and is expected to continue to drop to around 35 centimeters by Monday, according to data and forecasts from the Federal Waterways Authority. Under 40 centimeters, our barges will no longer be able to navigate safely and, for safety reasons, we will have to largely interrupt our navigation on the Upper and Middle Rhine “, warned Friday on its site the transport company Contargo, noting that no improvement was to be expected quickly.
About 4% of freight is transported by sea in Germany, including on the Rhine, which has its source in Switzerland to cross several countries including France and Germany before flowing into the sea in the Netherlands. The river has regained importance in recent months because, to reduce its dependence, in particular on Russian gas, Germany wants to turn more to coal. However, the large power plants are mainly located around the Rhine, a key river for their supply.
Germany’s biggest companies have already warned that major disruptions to river traffic could deal another blow to an economy already beset by logistical difficulties. The 2018 drought, which saw the benchmark depth of the Rhine at Kaub drop to 25 centimeters in October, cut German GDP by 0.2% that year, according to Deutsche Bank Research.
Depending on the drop in levels, if we can no longer pass certain sectors, mechanically this leads to a stoppage of navigation because the boats will no longer be able to pass in these sectors.
Freight on the Rhine impacted by drought
In France, breeders fear a shortage of milk
Cow farmers in France are very worried about the drought that is raging in the country. Agricultural unions fear a shortage. This would have consequences well beyond the borders: the country is the second largest European exporter. Almost half of the milk is exported. Besides, the price of milk is rising. It is currently around 78 cents on the French shelves.
There is a direct impact on milk production, as this represents a reduction of 2 to 3 liters of milk per cow per day across the entire herd. This makes me 120 liters less than usual, valued at 42 cents per liter of milk.
The consequences of drought on milk production in eastern France
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A lack of rain which, on the contrary, satisfies Belgian winegrowers
While drought is wreaking havoc on some crops, this is not the case for the Belgian wine sector. Unlike the French vines which are suffering enormously, the lack of rain satisfies the Belgian winegrowers and winegrowers. The drought is there, but the temperatures remain confined below 40 degrees for ideal weather for the development of the vines. 2022 should therefore be an excellent vintage.
Last year, we had a lot of humidity, we were subject to mildew, but also to frost, whereas that was not the case this year.
The effects of drought on Belgian vineyards
(And with AFP)