2023-07-17 21:51:47
An irrigation system for a field in the Rhône department, July 9, 2023. OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP
The Court of Auditors has a sense of timing. As a new week of heat waves begins in Europe and 65 French departments are now on drought alert with water restrictions, the magistrates published, on Monday July 17, a very critical report on the quantitative management of this resource brought to becoming increasingly rare under the effect of global warming. “A not quite normal summer”commented its first president, Pierre Moscovici, “without teasing allusion” to the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, who estimated the temperatures on Saturday “pretty normal for a summer”.
Lack of rain, drop in river flow and groundwater levels: in France, the quantity of renewable water available decreased by 14% between the period 1990-2001 and the period 2002-2018; and the situation should worsen further to reach a drop of 30% to 40% by 2050. Also, for the Court of Auditors, “only a determined strategy of reduction of withdrawals and rational use” of the water resource is likely to ensure its long-term protection. “It’s the only solution” insist the magistrates, and “However, it is not yet considered a priority”.
Read also: Drought: in France, 68% of water tables remain below normal in June
About 32 billion cubic meters of water are withdrawn each year in France. Half is used to cool nuclear reactors: “The choice of nuclear power has its counterparts”, comments Pierre Moscovici. The Court of Auditors points out that the samples taken by EDF can pose a problem in summer due to the reduction in the flow of rivers and the rise in water temperature. Then come withdrawals for drinking water (5.3 billion cubic meters) and supplying canals (5.4 billion cubic meters), then agricultural land (3 billion cubic meters) and finally industrial uses (2.5 billion cubic meters).
Reuse of wastewater, an “expensive” solution
The “water” plan presented by the government in March clearly provides for a target of 10% savings by 2030 for all sectors (agriculture, industry, energy, etc.). But it remains ” below “ from that set at the end of the Assises de l’eau in 2019: − 10% in 2024, then − 25% in 2034. One of the tracks of this plan aims to promote the reuse of wastewater. A solution “expensive”, Who “comes up against health considerations” et au “reduced potential”, judge the magistrates. The desalination of sea water, because it is very energy-intensive and discharges large quantities of brine, the storage of which is problematic, cannot be a « alternative ».
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