Here's a rundown of some of the latest drought-related developments from around the world, plus a window to more bespoke coverage on DW. We will continue adding to this story after publication.
Germany — Logistics operator to stop most barge operations on Upper and Middle Rhine
Due to low water level, the German container logistics company Contargo is suspending most of its inland shipping operations on the Upper and Middle Rhine.
Since no significant rainfall is expected in the coming days, the company expects the Kaub Gauge level to fall below 40 cm (15,7 inches) from this coming weekend.
"Then our barges will not be able to sail without danger, and for reasons of safety we shall have to largely discontinue our navigation on the Upper and Middle Rhine," Contargo said in a statement on the company's website.
Germany — Farmers' organization issues harvest warning
The president of the German Farmers' Association, Joachim Rukwied, warned on Friday that without imminent rain, this year's harvests could be severely affected by the late-summer heat wave.
He added that the combined issues of inflation and the conflict in Ukraine were exacerbating the situation even for farmers in Western Europe, hundreds or thousands of kilometers from the front lines.
France — Vast fire in the west, rivers and lakes run dry
Firefighters from six EU members started to arrive in France on Friday to help battle a series of wildfires, most notably a fierce blaze in the southwest that has forced thousands from their homes.
You can read the full story here.
In total, 361 foreign firefighters have rushed to the aid of their French colleagues, the first contingent of 65 arriving from neighboring Germany.
In the southwestern Burgundy region, the Tille River in the village of Lux dried up completely, revealing thousands of dead fish in a wide trench.
France has been forced to impose various water usage restrictions nationwide during the summer.
The conditions are also affecting the nuclear-powered country's electricity supply. France's vast fleet of low-carbon nuclear power plants rely on river water for cooling, and several plants have had to be shut down as a result. France has taken the unusual step of importing electricity from its neighbors, and its baseload electricity price hit a record high earlier in the week.
Hungary — Danube drying up, harvest to exacerbate inflation
Water levels on the Danube River have been dipping toward critical levels in recent weeks, while parts of Lake Velence, to the southwest of Budapest, dried up entirely this week (see image at top of article).
The deputy governor of Hungary's central bank, Barnabas Virag, has warned that the lengthy period of drought, coupled with the impact of the war in Ukraine on global food supply, could push food prices higher in the coming months and exacerbate the existing inflationary pressures facing the country.
UK — Thames source experiencing unprecedented lack of water
Amid its driest spell of weather in well over a century, the UK is introducing a hosepipe ban in some parts of the country, while the source of the River Thames is experiencing an unprecedented lack of water.
Meanwhile, the British government said that parts of southern, central and eastern England had officially moved into drought status.
The Met Office — the UK's national weather service — has already declared last month the driest for England since 1935, with average rainfall at 23.1 millimeters (0.9 inches), while some regions experienced their driest July ever.
EU: Record fire activity in southwest Europe in 2022
Fires that have scorched tens of thousands of hectares of wooded areas in France, Spain and Portugal have made 2022 a record-breaking year for wildfire activity in southwestern Europe, the EU's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) said Friday.
Amid a heatwave that saw temperature records set across the continent, the bloc's satellite monitoring service said that France had in the last three months reached the highest levels of carbon pollution from wildfires since records began in 2003.
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