The damage caused by this problem, which manifests itself when clay soil shrinks with an episode of drought and swells with the return of rain, concerns 10 million individual houses in France. A bill is being examined Thursday in the Senate.
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Already adopted by the National Assembly, this environmentalist bill on the shrinkage-swelling of clays will be examined Thursday, May 30 by the Senate. In particular, it suggests broadening the criteria for recognizing the state of natural disaster, following episodes of drought. The objective is to facilitate compensation for individuals whose homes find themselves cracked.
This “shrinkage-swelling of clays” manifests itself when a clayey soil shrinks with an episode of drought and swells with the return of rain. This phenomenon is increasing with climate change and can damage or even endanger the structure of certain houses.
According to figures from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, more than 10 million individual houses are exposed to this shrinkage-swelling of clays in France, over almost half of the territory. In the event of a disaster, the average cost of repairs is estimated at €16,000 on average, because it is often necessary to stop the progression of cracks, by stapling them with metal bars or concrete or by injecting resins into the ground or piles. under the foundations.
Today only a quarter of the files filed are actually compensated. Half of the municipalities which submit a request for recognition of a natural disaster do not obtain it. The situation is not satisfactory, but in a context of global warming, this also raises the question of the cost of this care. Compensating more and more victims of climate change raises the question of the cost of adaptation and that of the future of the compensation system for natural disasters. Who will pay this increasingly hefty bill in the future? Will it be the insurers? The State? The details ? This question of long-term financing is not resolved by the bill, but it will inevitably arise in the decades to come.
According to a study by France insurers, compensation for all losses due to drought should triple over the period 2020-2050, compared to what we experienced over the previous 30 years.
