With temperatures of and above 40 degrees Celsius, Southern Romania is like the Sahara these days, writes an article on the topic Digi24 and compares the Oltenia region to a desert, BTA reported.
It has not rained in the region for three months. 1,000 hectares of arable land are lost there annually. Experts warn that due to climate change, in 80-100 years the region will completely dry up and most of the fields there could turn into sand dunes. The consequences will be catastrophic for agriculture and local ecosystems. Almost one million hectares are at risk.
The first consequences are already visible in Dolj County, where over 100,000 hectares have turned into desert. Under the scorching sun, locals are also risking their health while watering their crops.
“If we don't stay in the fields, the crows will finish everything“, locals from the municipality of Calarasi, Dolj County, told Digi24. They explain that they can no longer engage in agriculture, as they cannot find moisture in the soil even at a depth of 25 meters.
“In the afternoon, the sand reaches a temperature of almost 70 degrees Celsius. No plant can withstand this temperature. I don't know what we could do in the future“, commented Sorin Sandu, mayor of the municipality of Calarasi.
Against this backdrop, yellow and orange codes for dangerous heat are still in force in Romania today. The hottest temperatures are expected to be in Oltenia, according to the National Meteorological Service.