High temperatures in France this week are expected to perpetuate drought conditions, which have affected numerous sectors including farming and nuclear power. 61 administrative regions have already put in place restriction on water use, according to Reuters.
The country’s meteorological services have warned of another wave of intense heat, and temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius in the southeast. This is the second hot spell this summer after record temperatures hit France at the end of June.
Last month, temperatures rose to a record 45.8 degrees Celsius in Gallargues-le-Monteux, close to the southern town of Nimes.
This year’s lack of rainfall and the warm weather have caused very low levels of groundwater, contributing to the volume and flow of rivers, said the hydrologist Violaine Bault at BRGM, the French geological survey.
The regions of France most impacted are the Loire, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Burgundy, in the centre and east of the country. The Rhone waterway is running low.
Bault added that these regions have had very little rainfall over the past three winters.
Agriculture in France could be one of the most-affected sectors, especially spring crops such as maize and sunflower, currently at key development stages.
Crops that need a lot of irrigation like maize could suffer from increasing restriction on water use.
Farmers are reporting irreversible damage and the lack of rain until the end of July will worsen the situation.
