The perilous summer season arrived early to the Spanish shores with exceptionally high temperatures and a prolonged drought so severe it is threatening crops, forests, and the very wellbeing of residents.
This past month temperatures were high all over the country but especially so in Cordoba as it hit a record-breaking high of 38.8-Celsius degrees.
Spanish Metrology Center asserted that these temperatures are usually associated with summertime rather than the typically calm months of spring.
This hike of temperature is accompanied by scarcity of rainfall, as Spain’s last hydrologic year was the third driest with 23 percent less precipitation than average.
A Hydrologic year is a time period from October 1st to September 30th in which precipitation totals are measured.
This current hydrologic year averaged 334 liters per square meters, 24 percent less than expected value of 455 mlm, this is especially worrying as Spanish water reserves dry out as well.
Spokesperson on behalf of Spanish Metrological Agency, Ruben del Campo, indicated that last September marked the beginning of an extended drought wave that is exacerbating month by month.
In a TV interview, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, described the situation as “unprecedented”.
Around 60 percent of crops are being killed by the dehydration, read a report, adding that some 3.5 million hectares of rainfed seeds were lost.
Restrictions on water supply are yet another factor threatening rainfed agriculture.
Livestock farmers and beekeepers are also struggling to keep their businesses adrift as the drought is making it significantly hard to provide nutrition.
This will have direct effect on foodstuff prices, whether meats, produce, or seeds, especially as prices are already high due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Inflation of foodstuff prices reached 16.5 percent last April.
Fires are the third foe threatening biodiversity in Spain as the fire season commenced ahead of time and destroyed 57,000 hectares of forests since February 28.
The year 2022 saw major heatwaves where some 4,700 people passed away with the cause of death linked to the unrelenting heat.
In an effort to combat climate change and ease its effects, the Spanish Government decreased income tax by 25 percent to help some 800,000 farmers.
The government is also aiming to change urban environments to accommodate a more hot future, via increasing number of trees, decreasing the use of asphalt and providing more canopies.
The Ministry of Health also launched a campaign raising awareness and allowing autonomous communities in Spain to take necessary measures, implement flexible working hours, increase pace of public transport, and bolster healthcare
Source: Kuwait News Agency