"Anticipate" will be the minister's main message to the prefects, he said in an interview with the Sunday newspaper.
"Take the measures that allow you to save water now", he will advise them.
For the minister, the prefects should not have "a shaky hand" when issuing restriction orders to "ensure that the water resource is preserved for this summer".
“The situation is more serious than last year at the same time and we are two months late in recharging groundwater,” recalled Christophe Béchu.
Four departments are already experiencing water restrictions, forcing all local players to halve their withdrawals.
And in the years to come "we will have between 10 and 40% less water available", pointed out the minister, calling for "sobriety and innovation".
The historic drought of the summer of 2022 and, worse, the dry winter that followed, made water, a long-abundant commodity in France's temperate climate, a rare commodity that should be saved and to share.
Groundwater in France © Jean Michel CORNU / AFP
After these first exchanges with the prefects coordinating the main basins, the minister will meet all the prefects of France on March 6.
© 2023 AFP