PEREIRAS - A fire tanker became a lifeline for a Portuguese village on Wednesday as taps threaten to run dry in the Iberian Peninsula's worst drought since the 1940s.
In an increasing familiar scene as reservoirs turn into dust bowls, firefighters delivered tankerloads of water to Pereiras, in the scorched Alentejo region.
"When they can't come there isn't any water in the houses, as happened all last week," Fernando Goncalves, the village council secretary said.
The reservoir that supplied Pereiras, about 200 km (125 miles) south of Lisbon, dried up two months ago.
Extreme or severe drought has gripped 79 percent of Portugal, the government's Water Institute said on Wednesday.
The country has slashed the wheat harvest forecast by up to 70 percent. In neighbouring Spain, farmers also expect huge losses. Environment Ministry data show Spain's water reserves stand at 56 percent of capacity.
(Additional reporting by Emma Ross-Thomas in Madrid)
Story by Carlos Pontes
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
