Tap water is now rationed for the 760 inhabitants of Villars-sur-Var, a town located northwest of Nice who wants to avoid "finding themselves dry".
Even if the source which supplies the village is not completely dried up, the town hall indicates that it has taken an order in this direction in a context of drought in the Alpes-Maritimes.
In force since Friday, the text prohibits “the human consumption of drinking water, namely drinking, food preparation and teeth washing”.
A new catchment, near the initial source, in the mountains, was carried out by the Alpes Azur Mercantour water authority.
And, even if the flow is sufficient, the analysis results have not yet reached the municipality, which cannot authorize its consumption for the moment.
In the meantime, it distributes water, at the rate of two bottles per inhabitant per day.
“Exceptional” situation
In accordance with a prefectural decree, the town hall also issued a second municipal decree which prohibits the watering of lawns or the filling of swimming pools.
At the end of May, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, referring to "an exceptional drought situation", extended the drought alert triggered in April to almost the entire Alpes-Maritimes department.
The Cannes region is still untouched by the restrictions that come with it.
Two other levels can still be triggered: heightened alert and crisis.
The latter was activated at the end of last week for 26 municipalities located northwest of Nice but of which Villars-sur-Var is not (yet) part.
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