Armenia, Georgia hit by record drought

About 97% of Armenia and Georgia was affected by drought in August, the European Drought Observatory (EDO) said, noting the two countries were suffering the worst impact in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, where more than half of regions were hit in the first 10 days of August.

Satellite data show that as of early August, 7.8% of Europe and the Mediterranean were at “alert” level, 38.7% at “warning” and 4.9% at “watch,” with the alert level indicating abnormal vegetation stress.

Bulgaria, Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Hungary and Montenegro were also heavily affected, with up to three-quarters of their territory under warning or alert. Heatwaves in July and August triggered large wildfires, killing one person each in Montenegro and Albania.

Local drought impacts were also seen in Spain, Portugal and Italy. In Britain nearly 70% of land was affected, and in France 63%. Conditions improved in central Europe, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic, where soil moisture and vegetation returned to normal.

According to AFP, citing European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) data, more than one million hectares of forests and land have burned across EU countries so far this year, a record high.

N.Tebrzili