French Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut said on Wednesday, August 12, that more than 40,000 people in France are already experiencing tap water cut-offs due to drought. The minister held a crisis meeting on the drought in Paris on that day.
The drought, which Barbut described as 'installed, early, widespread, lasting and particularly intense,' affects the entire territory of France. Barbut stated that the current consequences will not stop with the end of summer.
All regions of France are now at crisis level for water restrictions on all or part of their territory. Barbut noted that several hydrological indicators are reaching levels comparable to the major reference droughts of 1976 and 2022 in France.
Number facing tap water cut-offs in France
Water supply and enforcement issues
Regarding water security, Barbut said that in the previous week, the supply of drinking water for more than 550,000 inhabitants was considered under tension, while the supply for nearly 3 million inhabitants was classified under vigilance. The minister stated that the priority is ensuring access to drinking water everywhere in France, noting that some cities are being served with water tanks.
Barbut criticized the uneven application of water restrictions, stating they are not applied with the same diligence everywhere. She called on French prefects to issue water-use restriction orders 'without delay' in accordance with departmental framework agreements and asked them to review granted derogations 'as soon as possible' to ensure compliance through systematized controls.
A 'lessons-learned' review will be organized in late October to better anticipate future summers.
Economic estimates and disputes
Barbut cited an estimate from Insee that repeated heatwaves this summer could cost France between 10 and 15 billion euros. However, Insee denied to AFP that it was the source of that specific cost estimate.
The French Ministry of Ecological Transition told reporters the 10–15 billion euro figure is an estimate for 2026 to be taken with great caution, and was extrapolated from previous Insee calculations.
At a previous government meeting on July 27, the French government had estimated that tap water cut-offs already affected more than 30,000 people across 80 municipalities.
