LISBON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government launched a water conservation campaign on Tuesday in an attempt to tackle a nationwide drought.
A public awareness announcement printed in national newspapers carried the headline "one minute of your attention". It explained that a tap left running for one minute wasted 12 liters of water.
Town councils have begun rationing water used for street cleaning and plant cultivation. The new campaign aims to encourage the general public to be sparing in its water consumption too.
According to the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), October was the driest month in Portugal for 20 years, with 30 percent less rainfall than usual.
The IPMA declared the whole of mainland Portugal to be experiencing severe drought, with 75 percent of it suffering extreme drought.
The agriculture industry is bracing itself for dire consequences. The hot and dry conditions have also been partially responsible for Portugal's spate of devastating forest fires.
