Since the beginning of June, the water -use restriction decrees linked to drought have multiplied. While the year 2024 had been marked by a slight lull, the trajectory of the number of restrictions taken by the prefectures in 2025 is close to those of the 1920s and 2023, significantly drier.
In addition to the Pyrénées-Orientales, struck by a historic drought for several years, areas of Loiret, Indre, Ardennes or Ain are currently in crisis or in reinforced alert.
When the hydrological situation requires it, the prefecture takes a more or less restrictive decree, depending on the severity of the situation. The “drought guide” of the Ministry of Ecological Transition provides for four alert levels:
- the vigilance is only aware of awareness. It is a question of encouraging users, individuals and professionals, to reduce their water consumption;
- In cas alertrestrictions apply in many areas: reduction of water levies for agricultural purposes (which must then be less than 50 % or are prohibited up to three days a week), measures to prohibit hydraulic tools and valves, restrictions on nautical activities, prohibition at certain hours of watering gardens, green spaces, golfwoman and car washing;
- l’Reinforced alert accentuates the limitations listed above, until the total ban on certain samples;
- the crisis gives rise to the cessation of “non -priority” samples, including agricultural purposes. Only samples intended for priority uses are authorized: “Health, civil safety, drinking water, health”.
The decrees can concern drinking water, superficial waters (watercourse, rivers, etc.) or groundwater (tablecloths) -, sometimes with various degrees of restrictions for individuals and for operators.
The map below was made with the open data from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, aggregated from the lifts of the Departmental State services, available on the Data.gouv.fr platform. It is updated according to the decisions taken by the prefectures.
