More than a hundred municipalities in France are without drinking water because of the drought. French Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu said this to the AFP news agency on Friday during a visit to Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the south of the country. Béchu said the affected municipalities are being supplied with water via trucks because “there is no more water in the pipes”. These include municipalities in the Doubs department in the east of France and the Drôme and Var departments in the south.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne called the crisis “historic” on Friday and has set up an inter-ministerial crisis team to better coordinate measures nationally. Restrictions on water use are already in place in 93 of the 96 departments, and a crisis situation has been declared for 62 departments. This highest level of alertness prohibits, among other things, watering lawns, vehicles, sidewalks and irrigating crops.
Also read: How the drought in Europe amplifies the energy crisis
Last July was the second driest month ever recorded in France – only March 1961 was drier. The precipitation deficit was 84 percent compared to the average in the years between 1991 and 2020. The increasingly frequent heat waves, accompanied by extreme drought, are a direct result of the climate crisis, according to scientists. Extreme weather is increasing in intensity, duration and frequency. The French government has warned of a deterioration in the water supply over the next two weeks.
An interview with the French Minister of Ecological Transition and Regional Cohesion, Christophe Béchu (in French):
franceinfo franceinfo ?? „Nous avons un certain nombre de communes où nous avons des inquiétudes en terms d’eau potable. On est déjà à plus d’une centaine de communes en France qui aujourd’hui n’ont plus d’eau potable et pour lesquelles il ya des approvisionnements en camion”, annonce le ministre https://t.co/31L5iNRItm August 5, 2022 @ 10:33 am