The Rhône department has been experiencing increasingly repeated episodes of drought for ten years.
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JP Ksiazek / AFP
The situation is not new and repeats itself from year to year.
The prefect of the Rhône Pascal Mailhos has just placed the groundwater tables in the metropolis of Lyon and the department on drought vigilance, with the exception of that of the Val de Saône.
"The winter recharge was not sufficient to restore a normal situation after five years (2015 to 2020) characterized by a continuous rainfall deficit", indicates the prefecture.
Despite the abundant rains observed in recent weeks in the territory, the situation is worrying.
"The situation could even worsen in the coming months since we are entering a period where water is directly absorbed by the vegetation on the surface and has difficulty in going to depth", recalls Romain Weber, forecaster and founder of Lyon Météo .
According to the authorities, the prefectural decree placing the water tables in a situation of vigilance aims to alert "on the sensitivity of the water resource" and to remind individuals, manufacturers, farmers or communities of the need to be economical to avoid degradation. the level of drought of the water tables.
This "makes it possible to anticipate any degradation in order to preserve priority uses and the survival of aquatic ecosystems", underlines the prefecture, which does not exclude other measures in the event of a worsening of the situation.
In the event of a change to alert level and then reinforced alert, the State services may impose, as has been the case every summer for several years, restrictions and bans on the use of water.
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