Overview
- The préfecture of Haute‑Garonne raised the Garonne to the 'alerte renforcée' (level 3) on Saturday, upgrading the river from level 2 and triggering stricter withdrawal rules.
- Agricultural irrigation limits were tightened so farmers may irrigate only 3.5 days per week, and domestic vegetable‑garden watering hours were expanded to 8:00–20:00 and midnight–04:00.
- Record reservoir releases that began on July 3 have been used to sustain the river and authorities say stored water must be preserved to support flows through the end of October.
- National monitoring by the Office français de la biodiversité shows widespread stress with 1,424 small streams affected by flow breaks or dryness and about 90% of groundwater reserves falling, with local impacts such as 10 km of the Odet running dry and fish relocations.
- If dry conditions continue and reservoir stocks fall further, authorities warn the alert could rise to level 4 (crisis), a shift that would impose even stricter limits and increase risks to farms, fisheries and river ecosystems.