The Hague - (AFP) - The Netherlands , on Wednesday, officially announced a water scarcity due to the drought that has hit it for several weeks, while a new heat wave is recorded in Europe.

The Dutch authorities had previously imposed restrictions on agriculture and navigation in some canals. And she indicated in a statement that new measures are being sought to conserve water during this drought period.

The country is protected from sea water by a system of dams and canals, but is still vulnerable to the effects of climate change, with about a third of its area below sea level.

"The Netherlands is the land of water, but here too our water is precious," said Infrastructure and Water Management Minister Mark Harbers.

This came as the government expected the drought to continue "for some time", with its emphasis on providing sufficient quantities of drinking water.

Several regions of the Netherlands, the second largest agricultural exporter in the world after the United States, prevented farmers from irrigating crops with surface water. Some navigation channels have also been closed, especially since salt water seeps from the sea into some rivers where water levels are very low, according to Harper's.

The government has made it clear that priority will now be given to the safety of the Dutch dam system, and then to the supply of drinking water and energy.

"It is becoming more and more visible in nature," Habers said. "That is why I ask all Dutch people to think carefully before they decide whether to wash their car or fill the inflatable pool completely."

The last official cases of water scarcity were reported in the Netherlands in 2011 and 2018.

And in July, the country recorded its third highest temperature, at 39.4 degrees Celsius, since the data began being recorded. A month earlier, it had suffered its first deadly hurricane in 30 years.