In the southern French Pyrenees, drastic restrictions on water consumption have been in effect since Wednesday due to the severe drought. “We have reached historically low levels of water tables and dams,” said Prefect Rodrigue Furcy in Perpignan.
The prefecture announced that the highest alert level for drought now applies in almost the entire Pyrénées-Orientales department. There is a risk that the supply of drinking water can no longer be guaranteed.
There was also a risk of more forest fires. “The number of fires has doubled, the size of the affected areas has increased tenfold,” Furcy said. Bacteria are currently developing in some watercourses because the water level is so low.
Irrigating fields and gardens and filling private swimming pools are now prohibited. Violations are to be punished with up to 1,500 euros for private individuals and up to 7,500 euros for companies.
“Saving water is the only solution,” said Nicolas Garcia of the regional authority. “The situation on the coast is particularly bad. We’re at the level of August even though we’re only in May,” he said.
Fruit growers in particular are very worried. “Apricots and nectarines are growing on last year’s branches. If there are not enough new branches this year, then we will lose this year’s harvest and next year’s,” said Pascal Maillols from the village of Corbère-les-Cabanes. “If we lose our trees, we lose everything.”
The rules initially apply until mid-June, but could also be extended over the summer. French President Emmanuel Macron recently called for water conservation across the country because of the months of drought in France. “Because of climate change, by 2050 we will have about 30 to 40 percent less water available than today,” he said.
In January and February, France experienced 32 days in a row without precipitation for the first time since weather records began. As a result, 80 percent of the groundwater reserves were not sufficiently filled at the beginning of spring.
In mid-April, around 1,000 hectares of vegetation near Banyuls was destroyed in the first major forest fire of the year. So far, forest fires in France have mainly broken out in midsummer. (AFP)
