LISBON - Portugal, gripped by its worst drought in at least 60 years, sent hundreds of firefighters to battle deadly blazes across the country on Wednesday and forecast heavy losses to the parched agricultural sector.
One elderly man died, his body found by firefighters after a blaze surrounded his home outside the city of Alvaiazere, about 180 km (110 miles) north of Lisbon, the civil protection office said. A senior government official said severe and extreme drought had extended to the whole country, costing the agricultural sector the equivalent of nearly 1.5 percent of gross domestic product so far.
The crisis is Portugal's worst since at least 1945, when 86 percent of the territory was in severe or extreme drought.
"The government does not rule out declaring a public disaster," Agriculture Minister Jaime Silva told parliament. But he presented it as a distant prospect that would have to trigger financial support from the European Union.
With 26,000 people reportedly receiving water from trucks as of July 15, the government also outlined plans to teach the rest of the country water conservation.
"Every Portuguese person will receive a postcard at home, advising them of the risks of drought and the necessity to conserve (water)," secretary of state for the environment, Humberto Rosa, told newspaper Jornal de Negocios.
Spain is also suffering its worst drought since records began in the 1940s, and in western France, water levels are at their lowest since a major drought of 1976.
Parched conditions now stretch from north Africa to the French capital, and 11 firefighters died in Spain on Sunday fighting a forest fire, possibly caused by a barbeque.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
