Inevitable. This 2023 summer season promises to be drier than the previous year. Spring is not over, however, and yet some departments are already placed on alert. According to Christophe Béchu, Minister for Ecological Transition, 26 departments could suffer from high levels of drought.

The state of the water tables is still just as worrying, since 68% of them remain below the monthly normals for the month of April. The level of rainfall, on the other hand, benefits the vegetation but not the groundwater.

In the hope of coping with this real risk of summer drought, a new guide was unveiled by the former mayor of Angers, Christophe Béchu and by Bérengère Couillard, Secretary of State for Ecology, this Wednesday 17 May 2023.

In times of drought, in order to preserve priority uses of water, the prefectures are in pole position regarding the various restrictions put in place. In addition, the four levels of vigilance are more topical than ever: vigilance, alert, heightened alert and crisis.

Some departments are already in a state of vigilance, like the Pyrénées-Orientales, where the sale of above ground swimming pools is prohibited. Then, from the beginning of June, a control campaign will be carried out by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), responsible for enforcing the measures put in place. Nearly 13,000 checks and 1,000 sanctions have already taken place, as the minister claims.

Discover now in our slideshow below, the 10 activities that will be prohibited to you this summer, depending on your level of vigilance.