Drought: the government calls on the prefects to issue water restriction orders "from now on"

Faced with the urgency of the situation, the Minister for Ecological Transition is tightening the screw.

In a statement sent to AFP on Monday evening, Christophe Béchu summons the prefects to issue water restriction orders

to counter the wave of drought which is affecting a large part of French soil, which has been dry for several weeks.

Read alsoThe government is mobilizing against the drought

Four departments are already experiencing water restrictions, forcing all local players to halve their withdrawals.

The historic drought of the summer of 2022 and, worse, the dry winter that followed, made water, a long-abundant commodity in France's temperate climate, a rare commodity that should be saved and to share.

After these first exchanges with the prefects coordinating the main basins, the minister will meet all the prefects of France on March 6.