Drought forces Spain to deliver drinking water by tanker

Spain is delivering drinking water by tanker to dozens of municipalities as drought and a lack of rainfall put pressure on local water supplies, Spanish newspaper El Diario reports.

In the Basque Country municipality of Karrantza, around 250 cubic metres of water is being delivered each day for distribution because local resources are insufficient. The measure is expected to continue until the end of August, with the municipality's reservoir failing to replenish due to a lack of rainfall.

Other municipalities in the region have also introduced water restrictions this month, while similar shortages have been reported in several other parts of Spain.

The prolonged lack of rainfall is also affecting ecosystems, while Spain's livestock sector has called for government assistance to help mitigate the impact of the drought.

Spain's state meteorological agency said July was the country's hottest and driest month since records began in 1961.

The drought has also affected other parts of Europe. Euractiv reported that 38% of the European Union's territory was affected by drought, including 14.8% of agricultural land and 14.5% of forests, amid extreme heat, wildfires and a lack of rainfall.

Copernicus data showed that temperatures in parts of western Europe were 3–5 degrees Celsius above average in July.