Persistent drought is putting growing pressure on France’s drinking water networks, with officials warning that soils will likely remain at record dryness through October. Rainfall overnight on September 30 brought some relief in parts of the country, but it is unlikely to make up accumulated shortfalls, Le Monde reported. In the southwest, showers helped the Garonne river, on which the people of Toulouse depend for drinking water. Local authorities have reduced releases into the river to preserve reserves. Climatologist Simon Mittelberger of Meteo-France warned that soils will probably remain at record drought levels overall for October. New tensions could arise over how to share the precious resource as climate change disrupts the water cycle, the report said. In northern France, the seafood processing industry around Boulogne is a major consumer of drinking water, with one fishing zone representing 13 per cent of local consumption. Officials are counting on solidarity between regions, including emergency connections between water networks built over the summer.