Drought forces water restrictions until November across much of France
Residents of drought-hit departments in central and eastern France will have to face prolonged restrictions on their water usage until October 31st or even the end of November.
France’s ongoing battle with drought means that 79 out of metropolitan France’s 95 departments will continue to have some form of water restriction in place during the month of October.
Government agency Propluvia, which works closely with France’s Agriculture and Environment Ministry, published the findings as part of their latest drought map on Wednesday.
The departments in red - large swathes of central, southern and eastern France that were badly hit by suffocating temperatures and a lack of rain this summer - are all still undergoing a “water crisis”.
This means that water usage for agriculture, green spaces, golf courses, washing cars, filling swimming pools and for other non-essential purposes will continue to be banned until October 31st.
Crisis departments include Ain, Ardèche, Aude, Aveyron, Bas-Rhin, Bouches-du-Rhône, Cantal, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Cher, Côte-d'Or, Creuse, Deux-Sèvres, Dordogne, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne and Saône-et-Loire.
In Images: How drought has left its mark on much of France
In the case of the central department of Puy-de-Dôme, where the city of Clermont-Ferrand is located, water restrictions will be extended until November 30th as the region prepares for what Méteo France is forecasting to be a dry October.
Even departments coloured in orange have considerable water restrictions in place until the end of the October.
The ones in yellow also have moderate limitations until October 31st and the grey ones are being encouraged to save water.
Water usage limits and specifications are usually determined by individual préfectures, so if you live in France the best way to find out which ones apply to you is by contacting your town hall or visiting their website.
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France’s ongoing battle with drought means that 79 out of metropolitan France’s 95 departments will continue to have some form of water restriction in place during the month of October.
Government agency Propluvia, which works closely with France’s Agriculture and Environment Ministry, published the findings as part of their latest drought map on Wednesday.
The departments in red - large swathes of central, southern and eastern France that were badly hit by suffocating temperatures and a lack of rain this summer - are all still undergoing a “water crisis”.
This means that water usage for agriculture, green spaces, golf courses, washing cars, filling swimming pools and for other non-essential purposes will continue to be banned until October 31st.
Crisis departments include Ain, Ardèche, Aude, Aveyron, Bas-Rhin, Bouches-du-Rhône, Cantal, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Cher, Côte-d'Or, Creuse, Deux-Sèvres, Dordogne, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne and Saône-et-Loire.
In Images: How drought has left its mark on much of France
In the case of the central department of Puy-de-Dôme, where the city of Clermont-Ferrand is located, water restrictions will be extended until November 30th as the region prepares for what Méteo France is forecasting to be a dry October.
Even departments coloured in orange have considerable water restrictions in place until the end of the October.
The ones in yellow also have moderate limitations until October 31st and the grey ones are being encouraged to save water.
Water usage limits and specifications are usually determined by individual préfectures, so if you live in France the best way to find out which ones apply to you is by contacting your town hall or visiting their website.
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