1.
Dried up rivers and lakes, low after level in reservoirs
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2.
Village in the Hart Mountains which covered until now by artificial lake
0.25

3.
Tanker brings water to people of Lower Saxony who queue with buckets
0.47



Initials BA/WS/ES



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Dried-up rivers and lakes, and low water levels in the reservoirs: these are some of the typical scenes in draught- stricken areas of West Germany.

In the Harz Mountains, a "ghost" village, formerly submerged beneath the waters of an artificial lake, has come up into the light of day again, as the water has ebbed away to an unprecedented lower level.

In Lower saxony people have been queuing with buckets to receive their daily ration of drinking water from a tanker.

The water scarcity is most serious in the northern provinces and in the Ruhr area, where it is causing grave anxiety. The Moehne Valley Reservoir has lost over half of its water, and the Eder Dam Reservoir is empty.