2023-07-11 18:45:24
In Calce (Pyrénées-Orientales), June 9, 2023. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE MILHET / HANS-LUCAS FOR “THE WORLD”
It’s not a big surprise, but it’s no less alarming. The number of groundwater deficits has stagnated at a critical level for several months in France. “As of July 1, 2023, 68% of groundwater tables in mainland France are still below normal for the season. “said, Tuesday, July 11, Christophe Béchu during a press conference. A stable figure compared to the previous month, but which shows groundwater levels “very worrying”as recalled by the Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion.
Of the two-thirds of groundwater below normal, 20% show levels ” very low “, according to data from the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM). “ What is quite new this summer is that almost all of France is registering groundwater levels much lower than what we have known until now.comments Eric Servat, hydrologist at the Institute of Research for Development and director of the Unesco International Center on Water.
This groundwater deficit can be explained by the lack of sufficient rain to offset the effects of the scorching summer of 2022, which had greatly dried up the water tables. As of July 1, 2022, 75% of groundwater thus had a water level lower than normal for the season, according to BRGM data. The winter drought that followed did not allow the groundwater to be recharged to the expected levels. And if the end of spring was rainy, this period is not ideal for allowing them to be filled, in particular because the higher temperatures promote evapotranspiration. “This year, we have precipitation, but it was not very useful for recharging the groundwater, because it arrived quite late and was largely absorbed by the vegetation, which had already started well”supports Eric Servat.
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“Historic minima” in many sectors
In one year, groundwater level indicators have evolved with variable geometry depending on the region. Thus, the situation has improved in Brittany and on the Atlantic coast compared to July 2022. Conversely, it is more worrying on the Paris Basin (with a past level of “moderately low” last July at « bas » this year), on the Rhône corridor (from « bas » To ” very low “) and in the western part of the Mediterranean (from “moderately low” To ” very low “). “If we look at the whole of the Mediterranean arc, there is not a place that has not been the subject of a prefectural decree attesting to a heightened alert or crisis level, while we are only at the beginning of July”, explains the hydrologist. The BRGM also notes that “very low levels are gaining ground” and “historic minima are observed in many sectors”.
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