Nearly 70% of France Faces Water Restrictions as Drought Intensifies
Nearly 70% of France faces water restrictions as severe drought and heatwaves deplete supplies, with 67 departments under the highest alert.
Nearly three-quarters of France is currently under water-use restrictions as a severe drought and consecutive heatwaves place immense strain on the nation's water resources, according to the government's announcement on August 10, reported by France24. The French Ministry for Ecological Transition highlighted that climate change is exacerbating pressure on water supplies, with most of mainland France, including the capital Paris, under at least the initial level of water alert. Notably, 67 out of the country's 101 departments have reached the highest crisis level.
Under the highest alert, water use is limited to essential purposes like drinking, healthcare, sanitation, and civil protection. Conversely, lower alert levels prohibit activities such as watering gardens, filling swimming pools, washing cars, and irrigating crops. The drought has also significantly depleted groundwater reserves, with two-thirds of France's aquifers, which supply a major portion of the country's drinking water, falling below normal levels, as reported by the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM).
The decline in groundwater levels is particularly alarming this year due to below-average rainfall in July and heightened water demand, mainly from agriculture and tourism. July 2023 was France's hottest and third-driest month on record, with national rainfall being almost 70 percent below the average, as stated by the weather agency Meteo-France.
The prolonged heat and drought have also contributed to numerous wildfires and an estimated thousands of excess deaths across France and other parts of Europe. Ecology Minister Monique Barbut warned on July 27 that drinking water supplies were already under strain in several areas, with over 30,000 people experiencing disruptions in tap water services, some relying on tanker trucks or bottled supplies for their needs.
Barbut is scheduled to convene a crisis meeting on the drought on Wednesday as another heatwave sweeps across France and parts of Europe, with temperatures in southeastern France expected to reach 35°C on Monday, and similar hot conditions anticipated to spread nationwide throughout the week.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
