Summer has still to make its official start in Europe, yet many countries are sweating - and it has less to do with the immediate temperature than out of worry for their water supplies. If the sun god Apollo decides to put on a show similar to the heatwave that held western Europe in a molten grip in 2003, half a dozen countries are on course for water shortages that will be socially disruptive and economically costly, experts and officials say.
Southern Spain, southeastern England and western and southern France are viewed as chronically vulnerable, while eyes are anxiously following water availability in parts of Portugal, Italy and Greece, incompletely recovered from the scorcher of three years ago. Several years of above-average temperatures, below-average rainfall and extraction of water for farms, holiday homes and population densification are driving the big crunch. "You're talking about the ideal conditions for a drought, of a lack of water and rising temperature," said Carlo Lavalle, an expert in risk analysis at the European Union's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy.
In Spain, reservoirs and water tables are at their lowest levels in 10 years, failing to recharge after last year's drought, which was the worst since reliable record-keeping began in 1947. The worst exposed region is the south, which has developed fast in the past two decades with thirsty irrigated crops, golf courses and tourist resorts.
In southeastern England, reserves of water are only at 54 percent of capacity, after the driest winter since 1963-4. Specialists say 10 weeks of intense rain are needed to redress the balance; a damp May, which gave twice that month's average rainfall, has not even made a significant dent in the problem.
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http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Alarm_Bells_Sound_For_European_Water_Supply_As_Hot_Weather_Looms.html
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