Summer is over, rainfall has gradually resumed, but France is still on drought alert. As of September 26, the Ministry of Ecological Transition announcement that no less than 70 departments are affected by water restrictions at the most serious level on all or part of their territory.
Decided by the prefects of each department, on a perimeter and for a determined duration, these decrees of water restrictions are graduated according to the seriousness of the situation. The level of vigilance (in gray below) only consists of an incentive to save water. The alert (yellow) and heightened alert (orange) thresholds imply restrictions on water withdrawals, whether for agricultural or domestic uses (watering the garden, washing cars, etc.). In areas classified as in crisis (in red), any non-priority water withdrawal is prohibited.
You can view the map of restriction levels by watershed, updated September 26, below.
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This map shows that the western half of France is largely affected by crisis situations, while the east of the country is experiencing varied situations, between “reinforced alert” and “crisis”. In the north, water restrictions are lighter.
In Brittany, the situation is particularly critical. The Prefecture of Côtes d’Armor alerted, Tuesday, September 27, to the risk of a breakdown in the distribution of drinking water to the population in October. “Our perspective is around 45 days of autonomy, whereas normally, at this time of year, we are more at 90 days of autonomy”explains the Prefect, quoted by France 3. On September 27, the Waters and Rivers of Brittany association also alerted: “the real difficulties are ahead of us”.
The few rainy episodes announced for the next few days by Météo France will not be enough to reverse the trend. It will take several to allow water to penetrate the soil. Especially since the Côtes d’Armor are expecting a new dry period, specifies the prefecture.