August 11, 2026 | 02:42 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Nearly 70 percent of France is under water-use restrictions as worsening drought and successive heatwaves put increasing pressure on the country's water resources, the government said Monday, August 10, as reported by France24.
The French Ministry for Ecological Transition said climate change was intensifying pressure on water supplies amid a particularly severe drought.
As of August 9, most of mainland France, including Paris, was under at least the first level of water alert, while 67 of the country's 101 departments had reached the highest crisis level.
Under the highest alert, water use is reserved for essential needs such as drinking water, healthcare, sanitation and civil protection. Lower alert levels restrict activities including watering gardens, filling swimming pools, washing cars and irrigating crops.
Groundwater Reserves Under Pressure
The drought has also depleted groundwater reserves. Two-thirds of France's aquifers, which supply much of the country's drinking water, have fallen below normal levels, according to the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM) cited by France24.
The agency said the decline was particularly severe this year because of below-average rainfall in July and increased water demand, especially from agriculture and tourism.
July was France's hottest month on record and its third-driest July, with national rainfall nearly 70 percent below normal, according to weather agency Meteo-France.
The prolonged heat and drought have also contributed to major wildfires and thousands of excess deaths across France and other parts of Europe.
According to CNA, Ecology Minister Monique Barbut said on July 27 that drinking water supplies were already "under strain in several areas." More than 30,000 people had experienced disruptions to tap water supplies, with some receiving drinking water through tanker trucks or bottled supplies.
Barbut is due to convene a crisis meeting on the drought on Wednesday as another heatwave moves across France and parts of Europe.
Meteo-France said temperatures in southeastern France could reach 35°C on Monday, with hot conditions expected to spread to other parts of the country as the week progresses.
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