According to a statement from the official headquarters of the prime minister, the measure responds to “a historic situation that many territories are going through.”

The cell will have the mission of guaranteeing the flow of information between the departmental authorities, in order to facilitate decision-making, and could hold its first meeting this Friday.

According to the government, the drought is the most severe ever experienced in France, with weather forecasts predicting that the situation could continue for the next two weeks, increasing concern.

It also recognized the difficulties of access to water in various communities and described the scenario faced by farmers and ecosystems as a drama.

The 96 departments of the metropolitan territory are at one of the four surveillance levels, about half are at the highest “crisis” level, which implies prioritizing the use of water in sectors such as health and human consumption.

Another concern posed by the drought is the risk it brings, when combined with high temperatures and winds, to the spread of forest fires, which in the last four weeks have destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forest, especially in the South of the country.

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