Guest of the morning of Franceinfo, the Minister of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion Christophe Béchu spoke about the drought situation that France has been experiencing for several months.
"
It's the driest winter since 1959,
" recalled the minister.
While precipitation is expected in part of the country this Wednesday, February 22, after 31 days without significant rain, Christophe Béchu declared France "
on alert
".
In this context, the Minister announced the holding this Thursday of a drought anticipation committee followed by a meeting, Monday, February 27, with all the prefects.
"
We are going to look at territories by territories where we are,
" he said.
The Minister confirms that “ soft
” restrictive measures
could be taken on Monday, applicable from March, “
to avoid catastrophic situations
” this summer.
From a perspective of anticipation, he calls "
from now on
» to make an effort, especially when it comes to filling swimming pools.
To date, 8 departments are affected by a restriction beyond vigilance on at least part of the territory.
4 departments are on alert: Ille-et-Vilaine, Jura, Lozère and Savoie.
A "large body of water"
The level of underground water reserves is of particular concern to climatologists.
The water tables of the Hexagon would indeed be "
two months late in terms of filling
", according to Christophe Béchu.
"
It's recoverable but we need a rainy month of March, we have two months ahead of us
" continues the minister.
On the front line, farmers are also worried.
Christophe Béchu wanted to reassure them: “
There is no agriculture without water.
It would be hypocritical to prevent farmers from producing if it is to import
,” he said.
A "
large water plan
" of around fifty measures will be presented in the coming days.
The minister wants “
that we can make more use of wastewater
”.
Like the plans put in place this winter concerning energy, this future water plan will include a “
sobriety
” component, in order to encourage the French to moderate their consumption of drinking water.
