Tensions around the water resource may well last until the return, said Tuesday the Secretary of State for the Ecological Transition Emmanuelle Wargon, who called "the civility" of everyone to avoid wasting water. "For now, it's tense but controlled, but we have to be very vigilant," she told reporters.
A "hydrological monitoring committee" bringing together water management stakeholders met at the ministry, in the presence of Minister Elisabeth Borne, while the water tables began the summer at average or below average levels and that the heat wave is still drying up the surfaces.
73 departments affected by restrictions
The situation "is tense in certain places in particular, around the Loire, in the South-West and to a lesser extent the South-East," said Emmanuelle Wargon. "But all the measures of management, alert and sharing have been taken," she added, referring in particular to the water restriction orders "so that we are able to supply all of France with water drinking during this entire summer period ". Some 73 departments are affected by restrictions, to varying degrees.
"It is quite possible that there will be additional restriction orders, either in areas that are not in crisis but that could be, or in areas that have intermediate restrictions and for which we may have need to restrict more, "said Emmanuelle Wargon. "I would really like to make a call to good citizenship and the economy for everyone," she added. "Everyone can contribute to making this period go well, by avoiding wasting water, which is a precious asset in this period, and a relatively rare one."
"The question today is that of the recharge of tablecloths"
"We have understood that beyond the summer period, we may have tensions again at the beginning, the time that the rain returns and that the water tables and rivers can recharge. It's not just a heat and hot weather, it's really going to continue for a while, as long as the weather is dry. " According to her, "the question today is that of the recharge of these tablecloths: will it rain enough in the coming months? Because if we start a new cycle with weakened layers and that it rains again less, there we can expect episodes as tense in the months, or even the year to come.
Since September 2018, the rainfall deficit is 20% on average on France, noted Météo-France in its water balance of early July.