MAP: which areas in France already have water shortages?

Water tables in France were largely replenished by autumn’s heavy rains but some areas are already facing drought conditions.

Late autumn 2023 brought intensive rainstorms to much of France, refilling the water tables after a long summer.

The north, in particular, suffered due to the intensity of the rain, which led to weeks of floods in up to 200 communes in the Pas-de-Calais.

However, despite this, some parts of the south are still facing water shortages, which have gone on for more than a year in some places.

In particular, certain communes in Pyrénées-Orientales have already exhausted their groundwater reservoirs this year, and in Hérault, water levels have remained low since last autumn due to a lack of winter rain.

Read more: How do I see if any drought rules are affecting my French home? 

Similarly, in the Gard, where storms resulted in deadly flooding in March, the AbCèze association that manages the water resources of the river Cèze has warned that the river is still expected to have a deficit of 1.29 million m3 this summer.