Nearly two thirds of water tables are at a level below seasonal averages and 189 municipalities are deprived of drinking water… The water crisis “is not yet behind us” despite a rainier summer in 2023, revealed the Minister of Ecological Transition in an interview at Libération published this Wednesday, September 13.
The figures disclosed by Christophe Béchu in an article published Wednesday evening on the Libération website show that the number of municipalities suffering from water shortages on September 8 has more than doubled compared to the last inventory, on August 10, when they were 85.
The Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM), responsible for monitoring the water tables, published its latest report on Thursday. The groundwater situation improved between July and August: 62% of levels are below monthly normals, compared to 72% in July. But overall, levels are generally decreasing (73%).
The level of water tables as of September 1, 2023, according to the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research.
© / BRGM
Many municipalities in the Mediterranean basin
“Many are found in the Mediterranean basin, in the Rhone corridor, but we also have a few cases in Brittany. In total, 40,000 people are deprived of drinking water,” noted Christophe Béchu. At the same time last year, nearly 700 municipalities were affected.
“At the same time, 62% of water tables were below seasonal averages, and 18% were at very low levels. Last year, at the same date, 77% of them were below averages. and 20% very low,” listed the minister.