France set a new record with 32 days without rain.

France hit a new high on Wednesday with 32 days without rain. This is the longest period without significant precipitation since measurements began in 1959, the French weather service said on Wednesday. The last time there were 31 consecutive rainless days in 2020, albeit slightly ahead of the year. In winter, when the groundwater level has to rise again, the absence of rain is particularly threatening.

“Climate change means that water reserves in France are reduced by 15 to 40 percent,” Environment Minister Christophe Béchu (48) told FranceInfo. The minister called for more careful use of water. “We have a culture of waste,” Béchu said.

Less than one percent of the water used is recycled in France, and 20 times more in Spain. In addition, about one-fifth of drinking water is lost due to leaks. In some areas, up to 70 percent of drinking water was lost due to leaks.

Climate change is to blame

The minister said he would like to discuss possible restrictions with governors next Monday, which should come into effect from March. He emphasized that this is necessary so that we do not fall into a catastrophic situation towards the summer. The groundwater level, which usually rises in winter, is already two months late. “France is on the alert,” he said.

According to the scientists’ findings, the increased frequency and intensity of drought periods is a result of human-induced climate change. France already suffered from a major drought last summer.

Drought is now a persistent phenomenon in France: since August 2021, less rain has fallen on average every month, except for three months. Persistent periods of drought lead, among other things, to lower groundwater levels, making drinking water scarce in some areas and forcing farmers to fear lower harvests.

The peasant goes to the barricades

Water scarcity is already causing bottlenecks and conflicts. In the Landes region of western France, nearly a thousand farmers demonstrated on Tuesday to assert their right to the previous amount of water and demand the construction of reserve reservoirs.

Many villages in the Ardèche and Massif Central regions are already supplied with drinking water by tankers. In the Pyrenees, some reservoirs, such as Montbel in Ariège, are only 20 to 30 percent full, and their surroundings resemble a lunar landscape.

In Picardy, north of Paris, farmers are worried about growing chicory lettuce and potatoes. Environmentalists also criticize the use of snow machines, which are intense and consume a lot of water, especially during the winter holidays. (AFP)

Source :Blick