Drought Crisis: A Quarter of France’s Small Rivers Have Dried Up

The Ministry of Ecological Transition has issued a warning on Monday, July 13, stating, “The condition of the rivers is currently of the greatest concern”. This is particularly true for the Loire River, which is experiencing “historically low” flow levels. As a consequence, “The drinking water supply is particularly impacted, given that 78% of the tap water in the region comes from this river”. Loire-Atlantique has been put on enhanced alert for “drinking water”, with restrictions on water use now in place.

Similarly, in the Doubs department, now under “alert”, the riverbed of the Doubs River has dried up over several kilometers, dotted only by sparse pockets of stagnant water. Some villages are now having to be supplied with drinking water from external sources. According to reports, 16% of watercourses were already dry by June, compared to 6% during the same period last year.

In a statement released on Monday, July 13, the ministry highlights “rapidly decreasing flow rates across the territory”, with “nearly a third of monitoring stations recording levels below the minimums observed over the past twenty years for this time of year”. The ministry continues, “A quarter of the smaller watercourses are now dry, an unprecedented situation since national monitoring began in 2012”.