Drought: Nearly 70% of France under water restrictions

Nearly 70% of France is currently subject to water usage restrictions, due to a worsening drought caused by repeated heat waves that have been affecting the country for three months, the government said on Monday, announcing a crisis meeting on Wednesday.

"As France experiences a particularly intense drought, the effects of climate change continue to exacerbate tensions on water resources" and "nearly 70% of French territory is subject to water use restrictions," the Ministry of Ecological Transition indicated.

Specifically, as of August 9, 99 departments, including the entire metropolitan territory, are at least at the vigilance threshold. Among them, 67 departments are in a crisis situation, the highest level, and 21 are on heightened alert.

On Monday, the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM) announced that the situation of metropolitan groundwater, the main reserves of drinking water, continued to deteriorate, with two-thirds (63%) showing levels below normal, while summer is far from over and a new rise in temperatures is expected in the coming days.

Water restrictions are implemented through prefectural decrees. At the crisis level, water use is limited to priority purposes: health, civil security, drinking water, and sanitation. From the alert and heightened alert levels onward, restrictions are imposed on watering gardens and green spaces, filling swimming pools, washing cars, and irrigating crops.

On July 27, the Minister for Ecological Transition, Monique Barbut, indicated that "the drinking water supply is under strain in several territories, more precisely in 47 French departments", while 62 departments were placed at crisis level.

She specified that "water cuts at the tap" were already affecting "more than 30,000 people in 80 municipalities", who consequently had to be supplied with drinking water "by tanker trucks or through water bottles".

On Wednesday, the minister will meet with members of the Hydrological Anticipation and Monitoring Committee (CASH) and regional prefects to discuss the challenges of drought.

This meeting will be an opportunity to take stock of the current hydrological situation across the entire territory, as well as the "consequences of this situation for the different uses of water and territories. A focus will also be placed on the impact of the drought on fauna and flora," the government indicates.

"The committee members will also share their feedback on the management of this drought episode and exchange views on measures to sustainably strengthen the anticipation, prevention and resilience of territories in the face of the increasing number and intensification of episodes of tension on water resources," it adds.

AFP