During a demonstration against the Sivens dam, in the Tarn.

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FRED SCHEIBER / SIPA

  • The secretary in charge of biodiversity, Bérengère Abba, announced on Monday that she was relaunching studies for the creation of a water reservoir to supply water to the Tescou valley, in the Tarn.

  • She also indicated that a mediator would be appointed to renew the dialogue between the agricultural world and environmental associations, more than six years after the abandonment of the first project following the death of Rémi Fraisse.

  • Refusing to arrive with a "turnkey" project, she therefore asks the actors to refine their projects.

Those who thought that Bérangère Abba, the secretary in charge of Biodiversity, would announce this Monday the solution adopted to meet the water needs of the Tescou valley, and finally settle the Sivens dam file, have eaten their hat.

After four years of consultation, 200 meetings and 900,000 euros of studies later, this particularly emblematic irrigation project is still as sensitive as ever.

The first attempt to create a dam resulted in the death of environmental activist Rémi Fraisse seven years ago and the abandonment of the initial project.

It is urgent to wait

The Secretary of State promised "the forthcoming appointment of a mediator" to renew the dialogue between the agricultural world and environmental associations, which are struggling to agree within the co-construction body (ICC) to give birth of a common project.

She also announced the launch of a "cartography of the wetlands of the valley" (50,000 euros), as well as "agroecological support" to promote agricultural practices that consume less water resources.

Nevertheless, the impression of starting from scratch is stubborn ... "What were you waiting for?"

A turnkey project?

Well no "retorts the Secretary of State, while Catherine Ferrier, the prefect of Tarn recalls that" in four years, things have happened, even if I was not there at the time. ".

"I have a bunch of projects on the table and I am sure that one of them is the solution" continues the Secretary of State for Biodiversity.

The owners, behind which we find the local communities, are therefore asked to sharpen their project so that from a cost, impact and volume point of view, everything fits into the boxes.

For the State, the water needs for the farmers of the valley are around 473,000 m3, to which are added the 200,000 m3 of needs for the natural environment.

That is to say a little less than half of the initial project (1.5 million m3) which had provoked an outcry from environmental activists and the establishment of the ZAD of Sivens.

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  • Sivens dam

  • Remi Fraisse