The French Office for Biodiversity warned on Monday, August 3, of a historic and critical situation for small French waterways, with the end of July having seen an exceptional deterioration in the state of rivers across the country.
More than 1,300 waterways affected
According to the latest readings from the National Low Water Observatory, conducted throughout France by OFB agents, 1,373 watercourses are now affected by flow interruptions or complete drying up, 554 more than a month ago. With 43% of measuring stations affected, this is the most critical situation ever recorded at this time of year since the creation of this monitoring network.
This deterioration even surpasses the historic drought of 2022, a year which had nevertheless made its mark due to its scale and its consequences across the entire French territory.
Local solutions to limit the damage
Faced with this situation, some territories are seeking new solutions to preserve their ecosystems: in the Pyrénées-Orientales, treated wastewater from tourists is now being used to irrigate the orchards of local farmers, a practice presented as a real lifeline in the face of drought.
This alert from the OFB comes in a summer context marked by several successive heatwave episodes, which continue to dry up groundwater and waterways across the country, with direct consequences on aquatic fauna and the activities that depend on them.
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