Haute-Garonne raises water scarcity alert for the Garonne, tightening usage limits

The Garonne river has reached a reinforced drought alert, classified as level 3 out of four, after a prolonged shortfall in rainfall and sustained heat. The Haute-Garonne prefecture said the low river levels require preserving water for low-flow support through the end of October. New restrictions mainly target farming, increasing the irrigation ban to 3.5 days per one outlet, while garden watering is now prohibited from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and again from midnight to 4 a.m. The river’s flow is being maintained by continuous releases from reservoir lakes, a measure that began earlier this summer. No substantial precipitation is forecast in the coming days, heightening concerns over water availability.