The drought is also affecting a significant part of the south of France and the French government is accelerating the entry into force of its Action Plan for resilient and concerted water management. In addition to the 53 global measures in the document presented on March 30, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Bechu, has announced that as of Wednesday, May 10, the sale of removable pools (above ground pools) will be prohibited in the department of the Pyrénées-Orientales, as a measure to contain the domestic use of water in one of the areas of France most affected by drought.
The minister specified in an interview with RTL France on May 5 that the ban refers to the sale of this type of pool (in French, piscines hors sol), without referring to existing pools of this type, the use of which is already it is regulated.
In addition to the ban on sales announced by the minister, the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture has been applying a drought plan since April 15 that includes a ban on filling private pools of all kinds, regardless of use or construction material. This unprecedented measure in France, criticized by the tourism sector, includes the imposition of fines of up to 3,000 euros on offenders.
The drought affects 20 departments and in three of them restrictions on various uses are applied, such as the prohibition of filling swimming pools.
The Pyrénées-Orientales, and especially the Agly and Têt basins, are among the areas most affected by the scarcity of rainfall and resources in France. “There has been no significant rain in these areas for a year,” said the minister on Friday, May 5 in an interview with RTL Frances. “75% of our groundwater tables are below their seasonal averages” and the last one has been the driest month of April for 60 years in this department,” added the minister.
“It is not a government decision, it is the reality of nature and the situation in which we are; you have to get used to the idea that global warming is happening now,†said the minister.
“This department lives in anticipation of what some of the departments around the Mediterranean are likely to experience,†said Christophe Béchu after participating in a meeting of the Hydrological Anticipation and Monitoring Committee.
The application of the new measures are included in an order from the Pyrénées-Orientales prefect that provides for new restrictions as of May 10. Wells, golf courses, car washes, and above ground pool sales will all be affected. It is prohibited for the interested inhabitants to water their plants or use the water to clean the streets of the town halls, for example. The sources supplied with supply water will be out of service.
The sector most affected by this set of measures is agriculture and livestock, although the Pyrenees-Orientales prefect, Rodrigue Furcy, has explained that proposals are being studied “so as not to condemn this activity”, after the agricultural unions denounce that the new package of measures puts their farms at risk.
Rodolphe Furcy defends the measures as essential: “We must hold out until the end of the summer and avoid conflicts between uses, avoid a water war.”
