Drought in the Alpes-Maritimes: water restrictions extended to 83 municipalities

Facing a deterioration of water resources, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture is strengthening restriction measures. Thirty-nine new municipalities are joining the scheme, bringing to 83 the number of cities affected by water use limitations.

Drought continues to spread in the Alpes-Maritimes. A week after an initial strengthening of measures, the prefecture has decided to extend water use restrictions to new municipalities in order to preserve the resource and guarantee sharing among different users.

In total, 83 municipalities are now affected by limitation measures. Thirty-nine municipalities are placed on alert status, thirty-eight on enhanced alert, and five in crisis situation.

The municipalities in the Esteron watershed as well as those in the upper Roya are moving to alert status. In these areas, car washing at home and filling private swimming pools are prohibited. Watering green spaces, flower beds, vegetable gardens, and golf courses remains prohibited between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Enhanced alert applies notably to the watersheds of the Brague, Paillons, upper and lower Siagne, as well as several municipalities in the Loup basin. Restrictions become more stringent with the permanent prohibition of watering green spaces and flower beds, the closure of beach showers, and a 60% reduction in golf course watering volumes, authorized only during the night.

Five municipalities in the Cagne watershed remain in crisis situation: Cagnes-sur-Mer for non-connected uses to the drinking water network, La Gaude, Saint-Jeannet, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and Vence. In these areas, refilling private swimming pools is prohibited, as is car washing at home. Car wash centers without a recycling system must also close, while watering vegetable gardens, green spaces, and golf courses is very strictly limited.

A deterioration that could lead to further measures

The strengthening of restrictions comes in a meteorological and hydrological context that continues to deteriorate. The department is recording a rainfall deficit of nearly 15.5% since September 2025. Moreover, 81% of monitored groundwater tables are below seasonal norms.

High temperatures also increase pressure on water resources. Temperature anomalies reach +2.9°C in June and +3.8°C in July. At the same time, water consumption has increased since April 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year. Some areas in the western Alpes-Maritimes are recording increases of up to 30%, a development that exerts additional pressure on available reserves.

Weather forecasts do not suggest improvement in the short term. Successive heat episodes promote evaporation, reduce river flows, and weaken aquatic environments. In this context, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture invites all residents to adopt water conservation measures to limit water consumption. If the situation continues to deteriorate, new restrictions on water extraction and use could be implemented in the coming weeks.