Agencies

August 19: Britain has temporarily banned the use of water from the Thames River.

Citing unprecedented weather conditions, the public has been banned from using river water in London and the Thames Valley starting from next week. Industries have also been asked to use water carefully.

From August 24, river water cannot be used for cleaning cars, watering gardens, filling swimming pools and cleaning windows and doors. Demand for water in the UK has reached its highest level in 25 years due to extreme heat and drought. The water level in the rivers is also declining.

Amid such a situation, announcements are being made in Britain and Wales regarding the limited use of water. This July was the driest month in Britain since 1885. Last month, the temperature also rose above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in history. Drought has been declared in many parts of the country.

Not only in Britain but half of Europe is in the grip of drought. There is an extreme shortage of water, agricultural areas have been destroyed, various restrictions have been imposed on the use of water. The problem of forest fires has become extreme and people's lives have started to be affected. For almost two months, there was no rain in western, central and southern Europe.

Water levels in rivers of Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy among others have receded significantly. This has affected both transportation and transshipment using waterways.

Rhine river is the largest waterway in the country. Concerned authorities have issued warning that the water level is likely to  recede to unprecedented levels in coming days.

Water levels have also receded in rivers like Siene, Rhone and Loire in France and Po river of Italy as well as Escaut and Maas of Belgium. The river beds of those rivers are visible, according to media reports. It is possible to cross some of those rivers by walking across them at some points. This has caused trouble in operating boats and ships in those rivers.