The Ministry of Ecology has launched a site to keep informed of the restrictions put in place on water consumption. Drought in France forces some regions to issue bans.
Climate change does not only cause rising temperatures. After a drought in the summer of 2022, France is again affected by this problem in 2023, and many regions are affected by water restrictions.
Prohibition of filling your swimming pool or watering your garden during the day, limitation of work, cutting off of public fountains… many measures are taken in the event of drought. And be careful: if you don’t respect them, you can be fined. To find out what restrictions are in place at home or at your vacation spot, there is a website: VigiEau.gouv.fr.
What are the water restrictions in place in France?
Launched by the Ministry of Ecology on July 11, 2023, VigiEAu allows you to know if you are affected by the drought, and to have easy access to all the necessary information on the restrictions in place. All you have to do is enter the address of a city to get the details of its situation: without restriction, vigilance, alert, heightened alert, or crisis.
A map of France also shows which departments are affected by the restrictions. At the time of writing this article, a large part of France was affected by restrictions.
What prohibitions?
For areas at level ” vigilance there are no restrictions in place. Nevertheless, ” the state of the water resource calls for everyone’s vigilance “recalls the site. ” We advise you to follow the eco-gestures. Every action counts to save water “.
For areas at level “ alert », the watering of vegetable gardens, lawns, roundabouts, green spaces, pleasure gardens, flower beds/planters is prohibited between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., the filling / emptying of bodies of water, swimming pools and ponds private use and the emptying of swimming pools into the natural environment is prohibited, as is car washing by individuals and professionals, washing terraces and facades. The supply of fountains is prohibited, as is work in watercourses.
For level “ heightened alert », the prohibitions are the same as below, with, among other things, the addition of a ban on river navigation, such as water withdrawals intended for the functioning of natural environments — water withdrawals for hunting are reduced by 50%.
Finally, for the level crisis », the prohibitions above apply throughout the day, and others are added, such as the prohibition to wash nautical gear and boats.
“ Compliance with the restrictions is mandatory under penalty of receiving a fine of 1500€ “recalls the site.
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