FRANCE: France faces its worst drought in 30 years, the environment ministry warned yesterday, saying parts of the country have received 90 per cent less winter rainfall than normal and at least six areas have already introduced water rationing.
"We're ringing the alarm bells now, which is exceptional," said a ministry spokesman.
"Unless we start conserving resources immediately, things could start getting very difficult indeed this summer."
All of France's regions bar three - Alsace and Burgundy in the east and Languedoc- Roussillon in the south - are affected by the drought, the ministry said. On average, some 30 per cent less rain than normal has fallen in France since last October, while a broad swath of the Rhône valley from Valence to Nîmes, Marseilles and Toulon in the south is 75 per cent to 90 per cent down on its usual level.
According to the government hydrological office, which measures the volume of water in France's rivers, 86 per cent of 778 readings revealed levels lower than half those normally recorded in April. In the Ardèche department, every major watercourse has already run dry, a phenomenon not usually encountered until August.