Officials ask for EU assistance as severe Portugal's drought

Approximately 90% of Portugal's mainland territory is experiencing drought.

One-fifth of that region suffers severe drought alone, which is twice as much as in March and nearly five times the amount recorded a year earlier. 

In addition, extreme drought conditions are present in some areas, which were absent during the same period in 2022.

Severe drought in Portugal

The northeast and southern regions were particularly hard struck, and it was anticipated that the dry weather would persist.

The agency said that April 2023 was the third driest and fourth hottest month in mainland Portugal in the previous 92 years, with temperatures above average for this time of year.

Additionally, the Alentejo region, the core of northern and central Portugal, and the eastern Algarve in the south were the most impacted areas.

Maria do Ceu Antunes, the minister of agriculture, stated on Monday that the dry weather was having an impact on agricultural and water reservoirs. 

The ministry had urged the European Commission to address the issue and was anticipating strong cooperation from the body.

According to the Portuguese Farmers Confederation, livestock and cereal production are two of the industries most negatively impacted by the drought. It warned that herd slaughter may become unavoidable.

Drought negatively affects many industries

Growing worries that climate change would only make the situation worse have led to early-season heat waves that devastated large areas of the Iberian Peninsula, aggravated a protracted drought, and sparked wildfires.

Spanish meteorological office AEMET reported on Wednesday that the neighboring country's start to the year was the driest on record, with less rainfall than usual during the first four months of 2023.

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