France and the south and east of England were hit with the driest July in recorded history. This made water resources even less available and forced restrictions on both sides.
Meteo France reported that France had only 9.7 millimetres last month of rain, despite a severe drought that has hit farmers and forced them to limit freshwater use.
The agency said that this was 84% less than the July 1991 average, making it the second driest of the year since March 1961.
Meanwhile, swathes of England’s southern and eastern parts recorded the lowest rainfall in July on record, the UK’s Met Office, which has been compiling records since 1836, stated on Monday.
England saw an average of 23.1mm of rainfall — the lowest monthly total since 1935 and seventh lowest July total.
Low rainfall in both countries was accompanied by unprecedentedly high temperatures. In July, England reached 40 degrees Celsius for the first ever time.
Climate scientists are unanimously in agreement that carbon emissions from humans burning fossil energy are heating the planet. This is increasing the risk and severity for droughts, heatwaves and other extreme weather conditions.
A team of international researchers released their analysis last Friday, which found that climate change caused by human activity made the record-breaking heatwave in the UK at least 10 times more likely.
Water companies have to deal with high demand.
Both sides of the Channel have water companies that are struggling to cope with the dry conditions.
Nearly all of France’s 96 regions continentales have imposed water usage restrictions, which is also a record.
The country is preparing for its third heatwave of this summer. It will begin in the southeast on Monday and then head north towards Paris.
Farmers across the country are having difficulty feeding their livestock due to dry grasslands. Irrigation has been banned in large parts of the northwest and southeast because of water shortages.
Because the river Rhine runs along the France-Germany border and is very low, commercial boats must only run at one third of their carrying capacities to avoid hitting bottom.
Christophe Bechu, Environment Minister, stated that July’s rainfall was “just 12%” of what is needed.
“We have a hotwave that increases water demand and a drought which is limiting the availability of water, pushing us into this vicious loop,” Bechu stated to BFM television while visiting the Isere district in the southeast.
One water provider in England has announced restrictions so far.
Southern Water, which supplies a large part of central Southern England with water, will start imposing limits on its nearly one million customers later in the week.
The so-called hosepipe ban could soon become a reality for other providers. It follows a warning from the UK government’s Environment Agency, which warned that people need to “use water wisely”.
The agency last week stated that most of England has entered “prolonged drought” status.
This means that it is now taking precautionary steps to mitigate impacts “as hydrological circumstances deteriorate”.
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