This encouraging news offers welcome relief for authorities and residents who have had to deal with the challenges of water scarcity. For several weeks, many cities have been trying to anticipate the drought that will most likely occur this summer, due to rising temperatures.
After an abnormally hot month of May, the situation is still just as worrying for climate experts. Unfortunately, who says heat, also says drying up of groundwater. It is partly for this reason that a majority of prefectures have already implemented water restrictions. How did the government react to this increasingly worrying drought?
Faced with the climate emergency and following an episode of unprecedented winter drought at the start of the year, Emmanuel Macron presented the government’s “water plan” during his trip to the Hautes-Alpes. This ambitious plan includes nearly fifty measures aimed at improving water management in France, with the main objective of saving water by 10% by 2030. This water sobriety approach extends to all economic sectors, including industry, agriculture and recreation.
For individuals, an initiative called “Ecowatt de l’eau”, inspired by the concept of energy, was set up at the beginning of May. The purpose of this device is to know the level of consumption, the local restrictions in force and the appropriate actions to adopt. Progressive pricing based on the amount of water consumed is also one of the key measures of this plan. The first cubic meters of water will be billed at a moderate price, close to the cost of production, but beyond a certain threshold, the price per cubic meter will increase.
This water plan bears witness to the commitment of the French government to take concrete measures to face the challenges linked to water scarcity and the climate emergency. By adopting a global approach, by encouraging the various players to contribute to saving water and by raising citizens’ awareness of more responsible consumption, the government hopes to ensure more sustainable management of this precious resource.
Is your department on the list of those who will not be subject to restrictions related to water consumption? Here is the list of all affected areas.
