French regions face record water restrictions; English households urged to save water

A record 90 out of 96 mainland French regions face water restrictions due to an ongoing drought, official figures showed on Tuesday, as scorching temperatures and low rainfall cause supply shortages in many areas.

Only a handful of "departments" around the country are exempt from the restrictions, including the Paris area, the government's drought website Propluvia shows.

A colour-coded map indicates that the most severe measures -- including a ban on irrigation for farmland -- are in place in the northwest in the Loire river basin, as well as the southeast around the Rhone.

Areas in the southwest around the Tarn and Lot rivers are also in the highest red category, while even the normally verdant Alps are suffering from severe aridity.

"We have a record number of departments with restrictions," the environment ministry said in a statement.

France experienced its third-driest spring on record this year after 2011 and 1976, according to the national weather service, with rainfall 45 percent below average levels.

Two severe heatwaves in May and latterly in July -- when temperatures soared above 40 Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) -- have further reduced water levels while searing farmland and forests.

Two huge blazes near Bordeaux in southwest France over the last fortnight have destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of tinder-dry forest and required around 2,000 firefighters to bring them under control.

Local authorities are restricting access to many wooded areas as a precaution, including the Calanques National Park along the Mediterranean coast near Marseille which is popular with tourists.

English households urged to use water wisely after record dry spell
London (AFP) July 26, 2022 - People in England were urged Tuesday to use water "wisely" to protect supplies and the environment, after the Met Office said the previous eight months had been among the driest on record.

The advice, from the Environment Agency, came after it convened a "national drought group" comprising senior decision-makers from the agency, government, water companies, and other interested parties to discuss the current conditions.

England and parts of Wales are severely parched following months of record low rainfall and unprecedented temperatures in recent weeks.

A punishing heatwave that swept western Europe last week pushed temperatures in Britain over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time ever.

The participants in Tuesday's meeting "agreed actions to protect water resources and the environment in the UK in the weeks ahead," the Environment Agency said.

"There are currently no plans for restrictions on essential water use," said Harvey Bradshaw, its executive director for environment.

But, noting that English rivers were "exceptionally low", he asked households to reduce "unnecessary water consumption".

Earlier, the Met Office, the UK's meteorological authority, said its statistics for November to July for England and Wales showed it was the driest period apart from a record spell in 1976.

Most of England has moved into "prolonged dry weather" status, the Environment Agency said, meaning it is now taking precautionary actions to mitigate impacts "as hydrological conditions deteriorate".

These include enhancing its monitoring and protection of water resources, alongside the water companies.

Nowhere in England is currently considered to be "in drought" and most water companies are maintaining good reservoir storage for summer demand, the agency noted.

But further measures which could be required include temporary use bans -- more commonly known as hosepipe bans -- which would be decided by individual water companies serving different areas.

"Water companies have detailed plans in place to manage water resources for customers and the environment, and are doing everything they can," said Stuart Colville, director of policy at Water UK, which represents the industry.

"As we continue to see extremely high demand, we are urging everyone to carefully consider the amount they are using given the unprecedented conditions."

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