The drought strikes at least 31 departments
- Drought in the Landes - France3 Aquitaine -
Drought in the Landes
© France3 Aquitaine
At least 31 departments, mainly in the northern half, have taken water restriction measures
Two regions, Poitou-Charentes to Loiret, that is, the center-west, and Beauce to the south of the Paris region, are affected each year on a recurring basis due to the deficient underground aquifers.
The entire department of Bouches-du-Rhône was declared, Tuesday evening, on the alert.
For the sensitive sector of the upstream Arc, which notably includes Aix-en-Provence, the municipalities at the foot of the Sainte-Victoire mountain as well as Gardanne and Rousset, measures to save water must be applied when the the water used is taken directly from the natural environment.
For the moment the south was not suffering: the coast of the Côte d'Azur having received heavy rains in late June, early July.
For the other regions, in the south-west in particular, the Ministry of Ecology says it is "rather confident" because of the numerous thunderstorms which sprayed the area from mid-August.
The general trend is downward in the level of French groundwater. This is confirmed by the observations of the ministry which are intersected with those of the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM).
The level remained however still higher than normal in Brittany, Lower Normandy, Nord-Pas-de-Calais and in the South except Roussillon, but turned out to be lower than normal in the Center, Ile-de-France , Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine.
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