The latest report by the European Drought Observatory has highlighted alarming drought conditions across southern, eastern, and central Europe. The Iberian Peninsula is facing the most critical situation, with several red warnings due to alternating periods of drought and intense winter and spring precipitation. Spain, Poland, and Lithuania are the most severely affected countries, with Spain alone having 34,000 square km of territory impacted by drought in 2023. Other countries facing orange warnings include Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and France. Cyprus is facing a particularly critical situation, with 71% use of freshwater resources.
The increasing use of water resources is not providing any relief from the drought conditions. The latest Water Exploitation Index has reached a record high of 5.8% of total available resources being consumed. Values above 20% are typically considered signs of water scarcity. Following Cyprus in terms of water consumption are Malta and Romania, with 34% and 21% respectively. However, some countries, such as Latvia, Croatia, Sweden, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Finland, and Luxembourg, have recorded values under 1% on the WEI+ index, indicating they are not experiencing water stress conditions.
Looking at the trend over the past decade, Italy has reported the highest growth rate in freshwater use, with an increase of nearly 7%. Turkey and Malta follow closely behind with increases of almost 6% and 4% respectively. The European Environment Agency warns that by mid-century, the frequency and intensity of heatwaves and droughts are projected to increase across most parts of Europe, emphasizing the need for timely adjustments in land management practices and effective implementation of EU and national adaptation strategies.
In response to the worsening drought conditions, the Med9 countries – France, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain – have discussed potential solutions such as smart irrigation systems, crop-protection technologies, water conservation systems, and genetically modified crops. However, the key suggested by the European Investment Bank is to increase the recycling of wastewater. The bank’s water expert, Maria Diamanti, stresses that more than 80% of wastewater is currently wasted but could be a highly valuable source of water, nutrients, and energy if treated differently. She calls for a shift in how wastewater is treated and for wastewater resource recovery to become a priority.
