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Map: The 28 French departments at high risk of drought this summer
Official guidelines on how water restrictions should be applied have also been updated
Twenty-eight French departments have been officially identified as being at a ‘very probable’ risk of drought this summer.
The government has also announced updated guidelines on how water restrictions should apply.
Ecological Transition Minister Christophe Béchu this week published a map that divides the country’s departments into three categories, depending on their level of predicted risk in summer 2023.
The majority of the country (68%) has worryingly low levels of groundwater, the ministry said, as of May 1 - despite the heavy rain seen in some parts of the country over the past few weeks. It based its predictions on figures from the geological research centre, le Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières (BRGM).
Read also: What impact will May rain have on France’s water deficit?
The map shows 28 departments at ‘very probable’ risk of drought.
- Most of the areas at the highest risk are concentrated in the south and southeast
- The western departments of Vienne and Deux-Sevres are also shown in red
- A ring circling the Greater Paris and surrounding region (but not inner Paris or its immediate neighbours), plus Loiret and Marne, are also at risk
- Haute-Corse is also in red, while Corse-du-Sud is on orange
The map’s aim is to help the country “anticipate the risks” and prepare for the summer season in advance.
Most mainland departments are coloured orange, meaning that they are facing ‘probable’ drought. The departments in yellow, at ‘possible’ risk, include those in Brittany, Normandy and Grand-Est. The department of Gironde is also a yellow island in a sea of orange.
Read also: Firefighters forced to get water from sea in drought-hit south France
The government has also outlined 10 measures as part of a new ‘drought guide’.
These are:
It comes as many parts of the country were already on drought alert and heightened water restrictions.
To understand the alert levels and check what applies in your area of France see our following article: How bad is the drought in France? See restrictions in your department.
Mr Béchu said that the ‘drought guide’ is an update of the first version, which was published in 2021, and would end the previous situation “in which each area sort of organised themselves however they wanted”.
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