The system makes it possible to better coordinate the action of the government and the prefects, called by the Prime Minister to conduct consultations on the use of water.
Le Monde
To coordinate the means of the State in the face of the period of “exceptional drought” that France crosses, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, announced the opening of an inter -ministerial crisis cell on Friday, August 5. The system must make it possible to facilitate the lifts from the prefectures of the most affected areas and to supervise the action of the public authorities, in particular to “supply water from the municipalities” and make “delivery of drinking water”, described a statement disseminated by Matignon.
“This drought is the most serious ever recorded in our country”, and “weather forecasts suggest that the situation could last over the next fifteen days, or even become more worrying,” also come up the services of the first Minister noting that this absence of rain “is aggravated by the accumulation of successive heat waves which reinforce evaporation and water needs”.
Thursday, 93 departments were the subject of water restrictions, among which 62 are considered “in crisis”, the highest level of alert. Since Wednesday, Creuse and Nièvre have joined them. The month of July was classified “second in the driest months every month combined” in France since the start of the measures in 1958-1959, with a cumulation of approved precipitation of 9.7 millimeters, according to Météo-France. The record dates back to March 1961, with 7.8 millimeters.
consultations on the use of water
According to Matignon, the crisis unit must make it possible to “ensure a regular information ascent by the departmental prefects of the most affected areas, to anticipate the possible activation of the” water “ORSEC plans for the agglomerations concerned And to coordinate the necessary civil security measures (water supply of municipalities, delivery of drinking water, etc.) “. It will also ensure follow -up “of the impacts of this drought for our energy production and transport infrastructure and for our agricultural sector, in particular the breeding sector”.
Elisabeth Borne asked the prefects to bring together, “as of next week, in each area of tension, the local water commissions and, when they exist, the other local consultation structures “In order to define” the prioritization of uses if necessary “. “Restriction measures have been taken and will be there wherever necessary to guarantee priority uses of health, civil security and drinking water supply,” said Matignon. The question has become sensitive in certain territories, where conflicts of use, in particular between tourist or leisure activities and economic activities, multiply.
“The exceptional drought that we currently know of many municipalities and is a drama for our farmers, our ecosystems and biodiversity”, added the Prime Minister’s services in a press release. The consequences could also be heavy for EDF if the group was forced, in the coming days, to further lower its production of nuclear electricity, or even to stop a reactor of the Tricastin power station (Drôme) due to the high temperatures of rivers .