Africa-Press – Botswana. Temperatures across Europe have caused governments to issue health warnings.
Portugal, Spain and France have seen temperatures rise well above 40C (104F), and in the UK, the government has issued an extreme weather notice.
Experts say heatwaves and droughts are becoming more frequent and extreme because of climate change.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as dozens of properties and large areas of forest are destroyed.
The fire in the Gironde region, is one of several major blazes burning in France.
An amber extreme heat warning has come into force in the UK, with temperatures forecast to hit 37C (99F) in some parts over the next four days. Many parks and fields have dried out following a long period of little rainfall.
A cricket match between MK Stallions and MK Super Kings went ahead in the middle of a dried outfield in Milton Keynes, England.
Water levels have severely dropped, exposing the unseen trees and rocks at Colliford Lake, a reservoir on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England.
Low water levels are seen at the reservoir at Walthamstow Wetlands in London. Thames Water, which operates London’s water supply, plans to introduce hosepipe ban in order to save water.
The sun rises above the London skyline. The heatwave will likely affect health, transport and working conditions.
The current warning follows the driest July for England since 1935. A bare tree stands in a parched Hyde Park in London, England.
Bottles of water are stacked on the village green following a loss of domestic water supply in the village of Northend, near Henley-on-Thames, England.
Cows eat straw and grass silage which is normally a winter feed at a farm in Harpole, near Northampton, England. The cows have been on the supplementary food since the start of August due to hot, dry weather and lack of grass.
Large areas of grass have turned yellow due to the dry conditions in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) issued a ‘very high’ risk of wildfires alert across southern and eastern Scotland with long, dry sunny spells expected over the coming days.
Cantref Reservoir in Nant-Ddu, in the Brecon Beacons. The area is normally one of the wettest in the UK and supplies Cardiff and large parts of South Wales with water.
Boats lie in the mud in the marina at Beusichem, Netherlands. The drought and low water level has caused problems in the Lek and many other rivers.
People walk near boat houses on the banks of the Waal River in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The ongoing drought has cut operation capacities by half along the lower Rhine from Rotterdam to Germany.
A ship travels on the Rhine in Bonn, Germany despite low water levels. Cargo ships are currently unable to travel with full loads, driving up shipping prices.
A dead fish lies on the cracked ground of La Vinuela reservoir during a severe drought in La Vinuela, near Malaga, southern Spain.
A view of the Roman camp Aquis Querquennis, located on the banks of the Limia river in the As Conchas reservoir, in Ourense, Spain. The camp is usually submerged but is exposed due to the low water level.
Northern Italy is battling its worst drought in 70 years, with the government recently declaring a state of emergency in five regions due to a lack of rain and sweltering temperatures. The river under the Ponte di Sant’Agostino di Padova, Padua, has almost run dry.
The Magra river, which is at an all-time low, originates in Tuscany from Mount Borgognone and flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea at Bocca di Magra, in Liguria.
A tributary of the Bacchiglione di Padova, with the Specola in the background.
A water bomber helicopter is mobilised on a major forest fire that broke out near the town of Romeyer in south-east France. The fire has destroyed more than 225 hectares of forest.
Grapes wither on the vine in Wettolsheim, north-eastern France.
France’s worst drought since records began has caused crops to shrivel.
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