The summer rains do not fill the water tables, declared the Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, to some journalists.
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The drought is still growing in France. France counted “72% of tablecloths which are below normal for the season” on August 1, against 68% a month earlier, announced the Minister for Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, Thursday August 10. “We are on data that is comparable to last year at the same time” but the situation is “very contrasting” depending on the region, he explained to a few journalists.
“We have both a situation which is better in the Great West in general, in particular in Brittany, a part of Aquitaine, but on the contrary we have a situation which is more worrying with historically low levels on the side for example from the Rhône and Saône valleys”detailed Christophe Béchu.
The summer rains will therefore not have made it possible to correct a difficult situation, because they do not penetrate deeply and do not allow the water tables to be recharged. These rains “water the vegetation” but “we mainly need rain during autumn and winter to properly recharge the groundwater”recalled the minister.
Water shortages in 85 municipalities
In addition, 85 municipalities are currently experiencing water shortages, (67 supplied by tanker trucks and 18 by bottled water), ie around ten more than a week ago, specified Christophe Béchu. At the end of last summer, a thousand municipalities had found themselves in difficulty, including nearly 750 supplied by cistern or bottled water.
>> Drought: are water restrictions really effective?
Current tensions concern the departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Dordogne, Doubs, Hérault, Pyrénées-Orientales, Var and Vosges. Drought affects a large part of the country since 32 departments are in “crisis” on all or part of their territory and 20 in “enhanced alert”which translates into more or less significant restrictions on uses such as watering lawns or washing cars.