Brabant water board Delta is introducing a sprinkler ban for the western part of the province because of the continuing drought.

The decision means farmers will not be allowed to use water from lakes and ditches to spray their crops from 7am to 7pm, although there is an exception for fruit farmers and water for livestock.

The measure, described by the board as ‘extremely unusual’, has been made necessary because there ‘simply is not enough water’, officials said.

If the water level drops too low, it can damage dykes and river banks, kill wildlife and stimulate the growth of poisonous algae.

The Netherlands is about to go through a second period of tropical temperatures this summer, with temperatures topping 30 Celsius in large parts of the country. Weather forecasters do not see any significant rainfall until well into the second half of August at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands’ 10 drinking water companies say they do not anticipate any shortages for human consumption, although this could change in some parts of the country by early September.

‘In a worst case scenario, water pressure will be reduced to a thin stream,’ Jelle Hannema, director of water company Vitens told Nu.nl.

The government last week declared that the Netherlands has an official water shortage, with infrastructure minister Mark Harbers asking people to ‘think twice before washing their car or completely filling their blow up paddling pools’.

The drought has also led to an increased risk of heath fires nationwide.