Lisbon, Jul 31 (IANS): Portugal is experiencing the worst drought as 67.9 per cent of its territory was in severe drought, 28.4 per cent in extreme drought and the remaining 3.7 per cent in moderate drought in June, said the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

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

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 August 1, due to the persistence of very high temperature, Xinhua news agency reported.

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.