Drinking water no longer flows from the taps of four municipalities in the Pyrénées-Orientales, located in the Bas Conflent, in the Têt valley, at the foot of the Pyrenees. The elected representatives of the villages of Corbère, Corbère-les-Cabanes, Saint-Michel-de-Llotes and Bouleternère, united in the Intercommunal Syndicate for Drinking Water Supply, have decided to draw water from a borehole other than the one used so far to meet the needs of the inhabitants. “The level of drinking water drilling on Bouleternère has reached its sampling threshold”, explains the mayor of Corbère-les-Cabanes, Gérard Soler. But the water from this second source of fortune is unfit for consumption.
In this department, the small town of Oreilla has already been regularly supplied by tanker since the beginning of February. On March 22, the prefect Rodrigue Furcy, had warned that sixteen municipalities risked running out of drinking water in the short term.
As the level of precipitation is still largely in deficit, these concerns are more than ever on the agenda. “Apart from the month of August, close to normal, all the months have been in deficit since April 2022, evokes Florence Vaysse, referent of Météo-France in Languedoc and Roussillon. During the recharge season, from September to March, 247 mm of precipitation fell compared to a normal of 508 mm. In Perpignan, he fell 171 mm for a par of 405 mm”.
On April 30, will the Pyrénées-Orientales go into a crisis situation?
For the inhabitants of the department, placed since 2022 on enhanced drought alert, the galley is probably only beginning. On April 30, the prefect must announce the new actions. After leading the water resources committee, the day before, he will have two options: to continue the reinforced alert which already limits the use of water and prohibits its non-essential use (watering gardens, filling swimming pools for individuals, etc. ). Or go into a crisis situation, the consequences of which will be very strong. Including for professionals, especially in the agricultural and tourism sectors.
On Wednesday, the 226 mayors of the department announced the signing of a charter in which they undertake to increase water savings. “We are at the start of a long journey. We count on the responsibility of all, ”underlines the president of the association of mayors of the department, Edmond Jorda.