Global warming: will access to water become increasingly difficult in certain regions of France?

Ophélie Artaud / Photo credit: ALAIN PITTON / NURPHOTO / NURPHOTO VIA AFP 7:00 a.m., March 22, 2024

With global warming, water shortages have increased in recent years in mainland France. Hundreds of communities found themselves without access to drinking water. On this World Water Day, Europe 1 returns to this issue. However, are we at risk of running out of water in France?

At the end of summer 2023, 189 municipalities were deprived of drinking water in mainland France. The cause: a significant drought, linked to the heatwave, despite a relatively rainy summer season. For tens of thousands of French people, access to drinking water was no longer guaranteed. Adaptation measures have been put in place in these municipalities, such as the passage of tank trucks or the distribution of bottles. An almost unprecedented phenomenon in mainland France, but which could multiply in the years to come. However, are we really at risk of running out of water in France?

Water stress does not affect the entire territory in the same way, and overall, water reserves are sufficient in France. As the Water Information Center writes, "the state of water reserves in France is very reassuring: the country has an available water resource of 193 billion m3 per year while the needs in the country's water amounts to 32 billion m3 per year. France thus has an available stock well in excess of the population's water needs, protecting the population from the risk of water stress", explains the association. “While the water stress threshold established by the World Health Organization is 1,700 m3 per inhabitant per year, each French person has a reserve of 3,265 m3 of water per year.”

Problems of water distribution and resource management

But water is unevenly distributed across the territory. Certain regions, particularly around the Mediterranean, are more likely to be faced with water stress. If, throughout mainland France, "water is in surplus", conversely, "it will be lacking in places", explains Pauline Pedehour, lecturer in natural resource economics at the University of Angers. “To put it simply, water is not well distributed across the territory.”

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Depending on the territory, the reasons for the lack of water are not the same. In Vendée, for example, "there are very strong summer demands, due to tourism, which means that they lack resources in the summer", continues Pauline Pedehour. “Conversely, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, the problem is linked to groundwater which is struggling to fill.” The Mediterranean region is also facing an alarming situation, and only 225 millimeters of rain fell in 2023.

Added to this is a problem of resource management. Many cubic meters of drinking water are wasted each year, particularly due to leaks. According to a map published by the Intercommunalités de France association, 198 municipalities in France lose 50% of their drinking water due to leaks on their network. Throughout France, 20% of drinking water is lost due to these problems. “This is explained by the difficulties in repairing joints on certain networks, as well as by urban planning aspects. For example, Unesco prohibits touching the pipes of listed buildings,” continues the lecturer. “But this remains subjective and depends on the territories.”

What solutions can be found to combat shortage risks?

Desalination of seawater, reuse of wastewater... In recent years, initiatives have multiplied to try to resolve the problems of lack of water. But for Pauline Pedehour, “these infrastructures are only band-aids which, in addition, have very significant energy and environmental costs”. For the researcher, the main solution would be to "reduce water consumption to avoid all sources of waste": "we must make domestic consumers aware of good actions, such as spotting water leaks, having more control over water, for example by monitoring their meters. This requires better access to information. Likewise, for farmers, we must support them in the development of crops, through subsidies and schemes. And This is also the case for industry, where solutions exist to reduce waste."

A first lever which could limit the implementation of more restrictive measures for the population, such as a ban on filling swimming pools, or the implementation of water cuts depending on the time of day. In any case, for Pauline Pedehour, "we must prioritize uses in areas where there is a lack of water, therefore in my opinion, prioritize important domestic uses rather than swimming pools, prioritize the irrigation of crops sensitive to high added value for farmers rather than crops that consume too much water... In these areas, it is not viable to continue like this."

Last summer, the State also set up a "water plan", which plans to achieve 10% water savings by 2030. Because due to global warming, the risks that Water shortages are becoming more and more serious.