The incident couldn't have been worse. While the seaside resorts of Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle (Var) were just starting to recover from a very bad start to the season due to the coronavirus, several neighborhoods were completely deprived of drinking water on Saturday. In order to better manage the situation, the prefecture has also issued an order to restrict the water still available to “its strict minimum”. In other words, “for food, health and civil security needs” while “any other use such as washing, watering, supplying fountains or irrigation is prohibited”.
This measure concerns eleven municipalities: Saint-Tropez, Cogolin, Cavalaire, La Croix-Valmer, Gassin, Grimaud, La Môle, Le Plan-de-la-Tour, Ramatuelle, Rayol-Canadel and Sainte-Maxime.
A return to normal on Sunday?
According to the community of municipalities of the gulf, a "broken pipe" would be involved. And this obviously complicates a tourist situation already marred by the Covid-19 epidemic. "There are large villas with swimming pools and lawns and a lot of people", recalls in particular the chief of staff of the community of municipalities, Bruno Quivy. And to specify that distributions of water bottles were in progress.
A popular destination for the jet-set, the Gulf of Saint-Tropez welcomes up to 200,000 inhabitants in summer, compared to 55,000 out of season. “This is the third time since the summer that this pipeline, located between the dam and the treatment plant based in Cogolin, has jumped,” Bruno Quivy still regrets. "The repairs generally last between 8 and 10 hours but by the time the pool fills up again, the return to normal should not take place before Sunday morning," he said.
The prefecture specifies for its part that the restrictions will last until a new prefectural decree repeals them. Failure to comply will result in the offender being fined 1,500 euros.
