Drought: water companies call on users to "sobriety"

Water companies on Monday called on all users, farmers, industrialists, public services ... to "

" in their consumption in the face of drought.

While 35 departments are already subject to usage restrictions, the lack of water could threaten a large part of the national territory by the end of the summer, with some groundwater already in a worrying state (in Provence -Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Bas Dauphiné, Vendée, Charentes, Maine, Touraine...), underlines the Professional Federation of Water Companies (FP2E), which distribute drinking water to 60% of French people.

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The association recalls the situation in the summer of 2019, during which 88 departments were subject to restrictions and certain rural municipalities supplied by tank trucks.

“

”, underlines the FP2E, which brings together the private companies managing these markets after competition (Saur, Suez, Veolia, etc.)

From the State and local authorities, they are calling for “

”.

In particular, they advocate the establishment of interconnections, where the fragility of one catchment can be compensated by another, and the strengthening of the digitalization of services (detection of leaks before and after meters, seasonal tariff structures).

The FP2E also recommends accelerating the implementation of "

" (preserving wetlands, removing waterproofing), the effectiveness of which is expected in the long term, combined with more technological solutions (refilling , reuse of treated wastewater, etc.)

Already, in services equipped with remote readings, seasonal tariff structures can be implemented, on the decision of each local authority, to encourage responsible consumption in times of crisis, these professionals suggest.

An episode of very strong heat is expected this week after a particularly hot and dry spring, which has already caused drought in the soil in a large part of France, raising fears for crops.