Paris: France's biodiversity agency on Monday warned that drought has caused a record deterioration in the country's small rivers, describing conditions as the worst ever recorded for this time of year. "With 43% of monitoring stations affected, this is the most critical situation ever recorded at this time of year," the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) said.

According to Anadolu Agency, the OFB described the situation as "historic and critical" and noted that 1,373 watercourses were affected by interrupted flows or had dried up completely. It added that the current conditions exceed the historic drought of 2022, with 112 more dried-up watercourses, and are twice as severe as projections for 2025.

The OFB reported that all regions of France have been impacted by the drought, particularly an area stretching from Vendee to the Grand Est region, as well as parts of southern central France. The agency identified Creuse, Vendee, Loire-Atlantique, Aveyron, Cote-d'Or, Nievre, Deux-Sevres, and Charente-Maritime among the most vulnerable areas.

"Beyond the available water resources, this situation seriously threatens biodiversity and the overall functioning of aquatic ecosystems," the OFB stated.