DROUGHT. While summer is not here yet, departments are already on drought alert. Restrictions have been put in place. The situation map.
A situation “more worrying than last summer.” France is preparing, in a few months, to experience an episode of drought a priori never known so far and stronger than during the summer period of 2022. The alert, launched by the entourage of the Minister of Transition environment on the sidelines of the presentation of the water plan by Emmanuel Macron, is cause for concern. Water reserves are low and weather forecasts do not suggest an improvement in the situation. According to Météo France, the rains that fell during the month of March “had a positive-very positive impact on the dryness of the soil”, allowing a “catch-up”, without however affecting the whole country. “The situation remains very worrying” on the Mediterranean coast, a region where increased drought alerts have already been established by the prefectures, resulting in restrictions for the inhabitants.
As of April 5, 2023, all of the Alpes-Maritimes and a very large majority of the Var are on “alert” (yellow vigilance). Not far from there, the south-east of Bouches-du-Rhône has been placed in “crisis” (red vigilance), the highest level of alert, with significant restrictions. The entirety of the Pyrénées-Orientales is, for its part, in heightened vigilance (orange vigilance). At this stage, Aude, Hérault, Gard and the majority of Bouches-du-Rhône are spared from restrictions. Elsewhere in the country, the western part of Ain and the east of Oise are on heightened alert, Haute-Saône, part of Drôme, Vienne and even Oise (west) are on yellow alert. A situation that could quickly change.
What is the drought map of France?
Propluvia is the institute of the Ministry of Ecological Transition responsible for monitoring water levels and the internet platform that allows direct consultation of water restriction orders. The site includes a scalable map to view the areas affected by these prefectural decrees. Here is the map as of April 5, 2023.
There are four main levels of drought vigilance and all of them result in the implementation of specific measures.
Individuals have a role to play in limiting drought, in particular through small everyday gestures summarized by the website of the Ministry of Ecological Transition:
If these actions to adopt are good for the planet, they are also good for the bank account, while the bill should increase soon, given the price of water. A larger increase should also weigh on the most consuming households at the top, as Emmanuel Macron announced.
