LISBON — Portugal is experiencing the worst drought as 67.9 percent of its territory was in severe drought, 28.4 percent in extreme drought and the remaining 3.7 percent in moderate drought in June, said the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on Saturday.

This is the driest year since the beginning of droughts registration in the country, which started in 1931, said the institute.

The drought in Portugal began to intensify approximately a year ago, and even in winter, the entire continental territory of the country was in severe drought, according to the IPMA.

It also said that five Portuguese districts are under "orange" alert, the second most serious on a scale of three, until Aug. 1, due to the persistence of very high temperature.

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) issued a warning on Saturday about the danger of fires due to low humidity levels.

To guarantee human consumption of water, the Portuguese government adopted measures to monitor and limit water use for energy generation and irrigation. The government also decided to reinforce the water accumulation in reservoirs and dams, and improve precision technologies to save water in irrigation. — Agencies