Almost the entire department of Hérault has been placed on alert or enhanced alert to the drought that is beginning to affect a large part of France, announced Friday the prefect, evoking "the aggravation of the hydrological and hydrogeological deficit and unfavorable weather forecasts in the short term". As a result, the prefect announced in a statement that he had "decided to strengthen restrictions on water uses in the department".
💧Worsening of #sécheresse in the #Hérault
👉 to preserve water resources, the @prefet34 decided to place watersheds:
- on "heightened alert" - on "alert" 🟠
🟡
The restriction measures are available in the orderhttps://t.co/tOCWve1yXn pic.twitter.com/QJIqMaD0ds
— Prefect of Hérault 🇫🇷 (@Prefet34) May 12, 2023
"The lack of rainfall does not allow groundwater recharge and maintains a soil dryness equivalent to a normal situation at the end of June. The flows of the rivers of the department are lower than the average of the season, even very low on some watersheds such as the Orb and the Hérault. Groundwater levels are worrying, even reaching low records for the season in places," he said.
A yellow thunderstorm alert
The watersheds of the Hérault, Lergue, Orb, Jaur, Vidourle and Astienne aquifer have been placed on heightened alert, the Mosson and Lez watersheds on alert, and the other areas of the department have been kept on alert. And it is not the yellow vigilance for thunderstorms, decided this Saturday by Météo France, which may change things, the violent rains can not penetrate deep into the soils hardened by the lack of water.
See alsoDrought: how is compliance with water restrictions monitored?
In areas on alert, it is now forbidden to fill private swimming pools, wash vehicles outside washing stations that recycle water, and watering can only be done "in the cool", between 20 p.m. and 8 a.m. In areas on heightened alert, restrictions are added to the prohibition of washing the roads, watering private and public gardens, except vegetable gardens. Restrictions are also in place for sports, agricultural and industrial uses of water. Thursday, the prefect of Hérault had already issued an unfavorable opinion to a golf project in the name of preserving water resources.
VIDEO. In the Pyrénées-Orientales, an "unprecedented" early drought visible from the sky
The France is again facing a historic drought threat at the beginning of summer, and several departments, especially in the southern half of the country, have already imposed water use restrictions, including the Pyrénées-Orientales. President Emmanuel Macron announced at the end of March a "sobriety plan" on water for all economic sectors, but which spares the agricultural sector, a major consumer.
