Ophélie Artaud / Photo credit: Maeva Destombes / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 16:23 p.m., July 21, 2023

While 68% of groundwater is below seasonal normals and heat and drought are present in the country, the situation on water is worrying. In some departments in a drought situation, restrictions are put in place. To find out if your locality is concerned, the Ministry of Ecological Transition has launched the VigiEau platform.

At the end of July, 68% of French groundwater is still below seasonal norms, as announced by Christophe Béchu, the Minister of Ecological Transition, a few days ago. While the heat settles in the country, with periods of heat wave, especially in the south-east of the France, the situation on the water is not expected to improve in the coming weeks.

As of July 21, only 17 metropolitan departments are not at all affected by a drought alert or alert. Conversely, about twenty departments are partly in a crisis situation, according to the website of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Propluvia.

© Propluvia

Tips to reduce your water consumption

A situation that leads to different restrictions on the territories concerned, depending on the level of alert. To inform the population of possible water uses in their municipality, the Ministry of Ecological Transition has just launched the VigiEau platform. Concretely, this site allows the inhabitants to know the level of groundwater at the local level and to know if they are affected by water restrictions. Different tips are also given to reduce your water consumption, whether at home or outside.

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To find out if your locality is affected by water restrictions, simply go to the vigieau.gouv.fr site, and type in its address. The platform then indicates the level of vigilance in the municipality and the related restrictions. The various possible restrictions are then classified into categories: "watering", "filling or draining", "cleaning", "feeding fountains", "carrying out work" and "taking".

Fine of 1,500 euros in case of non-compliance with the rules

There are different levels of alert, from simple vigilance to crisis situations. Departments on alert have no restrictions, but incentives to save water. When the first level, that of the "alert", is triggered, it is forbidden to water gardens or green spaces, to wash your car at certain times of the day, to fill or empty your private pool.

In the departments on "enhanced alert", farmers are also affected by watering limitations. Finally, in territories in crisis situations, only priority water withdrawals - namely those related to health, civil security, sanitation or access to drinking water - are authorized. In case of non-compliance with the restrictions, recalcitrants are liable to a fine of 1,500 euros.

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According to the VigiEau website, each French person consumes 148 liters of drinking water every day... of which only 1% to drink. Last summer, 700 French municipalities were deprived of drinking water.