France's Macron announces water saving plan, says protests will not stop reforms

Members of French labour unions face police forces as they demonstrate ahead the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured), in Savines-Le-Lac, South Eastern France, 30 March 2023. President Macron is expected to announce a national water management plan days after a violent demonstration by opponents of a proposed water reserve for agricultural irrigation. SEBASTIEN NOGIER/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron sought to rally citizens around a plan to save water on Thursday and stressed that protests will not stop reforms, in a nod to both climate change and an unpopular pension bill.

The water-saving plan includes 50 measures, such as fixing leaking pipes, adapting the way farmers and the nuclear industry use water and making water more expensive for those who use it in excess of basic needs.