The Info Sécheresse site has been warning for several months about the too low level of groundwater. As of June 22, 2023, the site updates to seven the number of departments whose level of drinking water reserves is “very low”. Nine are considered to be in a “serious drought” situation. Following these observations made from 1806 stations for 442 water tables monitored, Christophe Béchu met twice with the prefects in charge of the seven large basins. The purpose of these meetings was to define the measures to be taken to anticipate a possible water shortage this summer in certain French departments.

Following these meetings, four and then six departments were affected by water restrictions last March. Indeed, the majority of Pyrénées-Orientales, part of Var, Bouches-du-Rhône and Ain are impacted. Partial restrictions have also been applied in Drôme and Ardèche since March 6. But now, many departments are affected by prefectural orders involving partial or total water restrictions. Find out in our slideshow below if yours is affected.

On June 22, 2023, Propluvia, the site responsible for listing all the prefectural decrees imposing water restrictions, updated its map. The platform, managed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, considers a level of vigilance involving “the information and encouragement of individuals and professionals to save water”. Then, three alert levels are defined:

For the moment, 22 departments are affected by one of these alerts, but the situation could change very quickly. In the meantime, find out in our slideshow below if you are affected by water restrictions in your department.