Have you ever imagined crossing the Mondego riverbed under the Santa Clara bridge? Or go down the Douro river with a canoe in hand, swim in a sandy reservoir in the Alentejo or have to walk on the rocks of the Tagus river bank to reach the cacilheiro? The images may seem exaggerated, but they are real and a Portuguese illustration of what is happening throughout Europe. The lack of rain and heat waves left the continent dry, even in countries further north, where water shortages were not expected.
We were still in the middle of winter and there was already an abnormal period without rain in Portugal and Spain. The lack of water was so evident that it uncovered a Galician town, next to the Miño river, submerged in 1992 – the town reappeared in September 2021 and after six months, when the Observer visited the place, the water level continued to drop —. Now they are the Pedras da Fome, in the rivers of Germany, the Guadalperal dolmen, in Spain, and a bomb from the Second World War, in Italy, being exposed by the drought. The headwaters of the River Thames in the UK dried up and receded 8km, an unprecedented distance, after the driest July since 1836. And even the rivers of the Netherlands have not escaped the effects of the prolonged drought. (as you can see in the photo gallery above).
This article is exclusive to our subscribers: subscribe now and benefit from unlimited reading and other benefits. If you are already a subscriber, log in here. If you think this message is an error, please contact our customer service.
Source: Observadora
