Nearly 70 percent of France is subject to water-use restrictions - and 30,000 people have lost their drinking water supplies - as drought conditions worsen amid successive heatwaves, the government said on Monday.
A series of heatwaves over the past three months, compounded by drought, have broken temperature records, caused thousands of excess deaths, and fuelled massive wildfires.
"As France is experiencing a particularly severe drought, the effects of climate change continue to increase pressure on water resources," the ministry for ecological transition said, adding that "nearly 70 percent of French territory is subject to restrictions on water use".
As of August 9th, the vast majority of mainland France, including Paris, was under at least the first water warning level, with 67 of the country's 101 départements under the highest 'crisis' alert.
In areas subject to the highest alert, water is reserved for priority uses such as healthcare, civil protection, drinking water and sanitation.
