Prolonged Drought Puts Crops at Risk in Algeria
Descrição
A prolonged drought in Algeria is causing problems for the country's agricultural sector and raising concerns among its people.
The north African nation's rainy season usually runs from November to March, but this year it has witnessed a lack of precipitation during the period. Reservoir levels are 60 percent lower than usual and annual precipitation in northern provinces has fallen to less than half of the average in previous years of over 1,000 millimeters.
Some experts in the country blame global warming for the drought.
"Over the past three years, we have noticed an obvious increase in temperature, especially in terms of the number of days with temperatures exceeding a certain degree. For example, last summer, temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius lasted throughout July. As for precipitation, there has been a downward trend in recent years," said Halimi Lotfi, head of the Algerian National Meteorological Office.
Underdeveloped agricultural technology means farmers in Algeria, where 87 percent of the land is desert and only 3 percent is arable, still rely on the rain for a good harvest.
Now, with the ongoing drought, many Algerians have reduced agricultural irrigation to guarantee their own daily water usage, thus putting crops at risk and raising concerns.
"This year is very different from previous years in terms of precipitation. The weather is so hot. It feels like we are in August while we are in February. This has led to a rise in fruit and vegetable prices. We are very concerned about this. Due to this lack of rain and the temperature rise, earthquakes have been occurring occasionally, which makes us very worried. The climate this year has no precedent in history," said Taharbouchet Youcef, a farmer.
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The north African nation's rainy season usually runs from November to March, but this year it has witnessed a lack of precipitation during the period. Reservoir levels are 60 percent lower than usual and annual precipitation in northern provinces has fallen to less than half of the average in previous years of over 1,000 millimeters.
Some experts in the country blame global warming for the drought.
"Over the past three years, we have noticed an obvious increase in temperature, especially in terms of the number of days with temperatures exceeding a certain degree. For example, last summer, temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius lasted throughout July. As for precipitation, there has been a downward trend in recent years," said Halimi Lotfi, head of the Algerian National Meteorological Office.
Underdeveloped agricultural technology means farmers in Algeria, where 87 percent of the land is desert and only 3 percent is arable, still rely on the rain for a good harvest.
Now, with the ongoing drought, many Algerians have reduced agricultural irrigation to guarantee their own daily water usage, thus putting crops at risk and raising concerns.
"This year is very different from previous years in terms of precipitation. The weather is so hot. It feels like we are in August while we are in February. This has led to a rise in fruit and vegetable prices. We are very concerned about this. Due to this lack of rain and the temperature rise, earthquakes have been occurring occasionally, which makes us very worried. The climate this year has no precedent in history," said Taharbouchet Youcef, a farmer.
More on: http://cctvplus.tv/NewJsp/news.jsp?fileId=343868
Subscribe us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmv5DbNpxH8X2eQxJBqEjKQ
CCTV+ official website: http://newscontent.cctv.com/
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Palavra-chave: meteorologia moz
