French geological service BRGM said on Thursday that very low groundwater levels have put the country on course for a worse summer drought than last year, mainly in the southern part of the country which had been ravaged by massive wildfires.
France which suffered its worse drought on record last summer has faced a dry winter that has prompted concerns over water security across the continent.
“The situation is worrying because the whole of France is affected and we have had several dry years,” BRGM hydrologist Violaine Bault was quoted to have said.
She said that many parts of France would very likely need to introduce water restrictions in the summer, notably in central regions and around Paris after groundwater levels are generally below those of 2022 and recharge is insufficient in most of the country after a particularly dry winter.
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Some groundwater levels were at their lowest on record in the wine-making Roussillon region and in the southern Var region where large wildfires were recorded over the past summers.
Crops that could be affected by a lack of water in southern France mainly include fruit and vines. The region grows little grain.
Rainfall in March had returned soil humidity to normal levels after record lows at the start of the month, weather forecaster Meteo France said on Thursday.
However, the soils, which were already dry at the end of February, dried up further in southeastern part of the country and reached record low moisture values in surface soils in the southwestern Aude and Pyrenees-Orientales regions, it said.
Story was adapted from Reuters.
