Finistère water utility faces severe shortages as rivers run low amid drought

In Finistère, the public water agency An Dour, responsible for Morlaix and 25 surrounding communes, is confronting a severe shortage as the Dourduff river barely reaches the intake near Plouezoc’h. The river’s flow is so low that only a few centimeters of water are available for the network that serves 40,000 connections and 79,000 residents. Guy Pennec, president of the water service, described the situation as extremely tense.

Other sources such as the Jarlot river are delivering only 0.13 cubic metres per second at Plougonven. The mayor of Brest, Stéphane Roudaut, declared a red alert, and the prefecture warned of possible supply interruptions across the department. Similar drought conditions elsewhere in France have led to water bottle distributions and night-time cuts in other regions.