France is yellowing seen from the sky.
Drought is burning the countryside, depleting rivers everywhere, but Paris, Hauts-de-Seine and Seine-Saint-Denis have so far escaped the alert thresholds, which imply restrictions on the use of water. 'water.
In the Val-de-Marne, only a few municipalities are affected by the “crisis” threshold, the highest.
The exception will not last: this Monday, the
Regional and interdepartmental directorate for the environment, planning and transport (DRIEAT)
will propose to the prefects of these four departments to sign the triggering of the "vigilance" threshold on all the territories.
It would then be applied very quickly.
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“As soon as one of the two rivers (Seine, Marne) goes below certain flows, we consult between services to find out whether it is appropriate to go to the threshold of vigilance, explains Isabelle Kamil, head of the political and police department. water at DRIEAT.
The Seine passed below this threshold a few days ago, which is 81 m³ per second at the Paris Austerlitz station.
In the Val-de-Marne, the municipalities currently in “crisis” will remain so, despite the vigilance order which will soon apply in the department.
Because Réveillon, a small river, is very fragile in case of drought.
“The crisis threshold was directly triggered on July 21, it was very quickly”.
“We also look at the weather forecast to avoid offering the prefects something that could be obsolete very quickly, continues Isabelle Kamil.
We have seen that the trend towards hot and dry weather is lasting in Paris, so we are going to propose to the prefects to trigger the vigilance threshold”.
“We are not in a period of opulence”
The DRIEAT applies the rule to the letter: "Crossing a threshold on at least one of the three stations in zone 1 - Paris Austerlitz and Alfortville (Val-de-Marne) on the Seine, and Gournay (Seine-Saint- Denis) on the Marne - without any reversal of the downward trend in the short term, is the subject of a prefectural decree in each of the four departments concerned", specifies the interprefectural decree.
At this point, no restrictions are in place.
Only “awareness and communication campaigns aimed at professionals and the general public”, recalls the decree.
To reduce the risk of pollution, “a call for vigilance is made to the main sites producing polluting discharges”, and the monitoring of discharges is reinforced.
“It's always good to make users and communities aware of the fact that we are not in a period of opulence, supports Isabelle Kamil.
Summer can last a long time.
We have already had to provide low water support
(returning water stored in reservoir lakes)
to major rivers until the end of October.
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Of the 93 departments currently affected by a restriction beyond vigilance, nine are on alert, 38 on heightened alert and 46 in crisis.
The higher the threshold, the more restricted the use of water.
The DRIEAT recommends limiting secondary uses, such as car cleaning and watering green spaces.