Nearly 70% of France is placed under water-use restrictions as record heatwaves and worsening drought strain water supplies. French authorities say 67 of the country’s 101 departments have reached the highest crisis alert level. They also report that around two-thirds of groundwater reserves are below normal.
Officials warn that another heatwave is expected to spread across the country this week, prolonging pressure on both groundwater and surface water. One outlet also reports that the situation is affecting access to drinking water, with about 30,000 people losing their drinking water supplies as restrictions expand.
While both sources describe the same overall scale and drivers—severe drought, successive heatwaves, and government-imposed limits—one emphasizes the departmental breakdown and groundwater status, while the other highlights the impact on drinking water for a reported number of residents.
