The end of summer does not always signal the end of drought conditions, as noted in a recent statement from the Indre-et-Loire prefecture on Saturday, 10 October. Three weeks into autumn, many areas of the department are still facing a severe water shortage, leading to restrictions on activities like watering plants, irrigation, and car washing. Despite the arrival of autumn, the situation remains challenging. Rainfall has begun again, and each time it occurs, it helps replenish rivers and groundwater. However, heavy rain from thunderstorms often doesn't soak deeply into the soil, limiting its effectiveness. As a result, some areas have seen water levels rise enough to lift restrictions, but officials emphasized that the crisis is still ongoing in parts of the Indre and Creuse rivers, which remain on alert. This indicates that the situation is still delicate and requires continued attention. The Loire river basin, which runs through the region, is still in a state of crisis, restricting the amount of water that can be drawn from the river. Meanwhile, other rivers such as the Cher, the Choisille, the Brenne, the Cisse, and the Manse are at the lowest level of the alert scale, which is the threshold of vigilance. While this means there is no immediate cause for concern, it does not mean water can be used freely. The region still needs rain to improve the overall situation, although forecasters predict that rainfall will be rare in the coming two weeks. As of 10 October, the latest drought map for Indre-et-Loire shows different levels of severity across the department. Areas in crisis are marked in red, those in reinforced alert in orange, and those in alert in yellow. Grey areas indicate a stage of simple vigilance, meaning the situation is not yet critical but still needs to be monitored.