MAPS - Drought: discover the regions of France most affected by the lack of water

Margaux Fodéré with Juliette Bonnin, edited by Gauthier Delomez 06:14, August 03, 2022

France has almost never been so dry.

Twenty-seven departments have been placed on heat wave orange vigilance since Tuesday.

All of France is affected by the drought, and 93 departments are subject to water restrictions.

In the Var, the village of Seillans is even obliged to have water delivered by tanker truck.

But where have France's water reserves gone?

Europe 1 takes stock using maps.

Only 9.7 millimeters of precipitation in July

First, there's rainwater, which we simply haven't received this year.

Last July, only 9.7 millimeters of precipitation fell.

This is ten times less than last year and 84% less than normal over the period 1991-2020, at 61.6 millimeters.

July 2022 has thus become the second driest month since the start of Météo France records in 1959.

Visible consequence of this drought: in the mountains, the lakes are lower, the dams are less full.

Moreover, those operated by EDF are only 69%, ie eleven points below the historical average.

The deficit is particularly high in the EDF dams in the Southern Alps, where the filling rate is 26 points lower than the historical average.

Particularly low water tables

This lack of water is very problematic because the rain supplies less of our surface reserves.

There is less water in the rivers, ponds, rivers.

This is the reason why it is more difficult for us to afford the 5.3 billion cubic meters of water that we consume each year.

Then, in addition to surface water, there is also underground water which represents a stock of 2,000 billion cubic meters.

A treasure which represents the equivalent of 8.380 billion euros, at the average price of water in France.

But this wealth is also fragile: in Provence, on the Côte d'Azur or in Charente, the water tables are particularly low.

Between surface water and groundwater, our reserves are therefore lower this year to meet our needs.

Agriculture uses 45% of the water consumed each year, ahead of power plant cooling at 31%.

Then, drinking water consumes 21% of the water, for uses intended for the population such as food, sanitary or hygiene.

Controlled use of water

And if you run out of water, theoretically, you can dig in your garden to find some.

In France, legally, water is a

, that is to say that it does not belong to anyone but that its use is common to all.

On the other hand, if the drilling exceeds ten meters in depth, it must be declared to the water police, as explained by Jérôme Nicolas, hydrogeologist at the Geological and Mining Research Bureau.

"Certain water wells are subject to declaration, others are subject to authorization, depending on the volumes withdrawn and the use, and others will be subject, depending on the volumes also, to a fee by the Agency for water", he explains at the microphone of Europe 1. This fee can vary from zero to 15 euro cents per cubic meter depending on the quantities drawn.

In the event of drought, the prefects can also set the order of priority in the uses of water.