MADRID (Reuters) – The Spanish government has earmarked a total of 2.19 billion euros ($2.41 billion) to help alleviate the impact of a prolonged and worsening drought in the country, Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said on Thursday.
Her ministry alone will spend 1.4 billion euros to build new infrastructure, such as desalination plants, double the reuse of urban water, and reduce the fees and tariffs of affected farms.
The Agriculture Ministry will provide 784 million euros to support farming production in the country that is Europe’s key exporter of fruit and vegetables and to alleviate the burden on farmers from the drought and rising costs.
The package includes a ban on some outdoor working during extreme heat conditions, as the country tries to adapt to the effects of the climate change.
Spain is suffering a long-term drought, with the driest start to a year since records began registered in the first four months of 2023.
($1 = 0.9084 euros)
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo and Belen Carreño; Additional reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip)
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