Hosepipe bans and other water restrictions imposed
Prefects order non-priority use to be halted in six departments with 12 others also on alert
Water restrictions have been brought in in 18 departments – with hosepipe bans ordered by prefects in most of Poitou-Charentes, part of Pays-de-la-Loire and one department of Normandy.
The six departments facing a drought ‘crisis’ with non-priority water use banned for farming and domestic usage, are Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres, Maine-et-Loire, Seine-Maritime and Vienne.
Four levels of water restriction have been put in place with ‘crisis’ being the most serious. Below that are niveau d'alerte renforcée (where users are warned to reduce water use and repair leaks), niveau d'alerte (use water carefully and repair leaks) and niveau de vigilance (possibility of problems ahead)
The departments on alerte renforcée are: Ardennes, Eure, Indre, Loire-Atlantique and Marne.
Departments en alerte: Cher, Côtes d'Armor, Haute-Savoie, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan, Orne and Vendée.
Residents in the following departments should prepare for future water problems: Calvados, Drôme, Haut-Rhin, Isère, Rhône and Savoie.
There are also some restrictions around Nontron in Dordogne, see the website Propluvia for details of all alerts.
The main story in the June issue of Connexion is on the drought problem with weather experts giving their views on the summer ahead.
https://www.connexionfrance.com/Back-Issues/176-June-2017
