In April, the precipitation deficit on the Antilles island “was up to 70% lower than the average of the last thirty years”, according to the prefecture.
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Martinique is facing a “exceptional water situation”. The island of the Antilles was placed for the first time in its history in a situation of “drought crisis”announced the prefecture on Friday May 17. “In April, the precipitation deficit was up to 70% lower than the average of the last thirty years” et “the trends do not allow us to envisage improvement in the short term”, adds the prefecture. The return of rain “important” is expected at the end of May-beginning of June.
The prefecture adds that the situation “is approaching the record situation of 1973, the driest reference year on record”. As part of this “drought crisis”, a prefectural decree prohibits car and boat washing, including by professionals. The decree “imposes a 25% reduction in water consumption” to companies consuming more than 1,000 m³ per year.
Since the beginning of April, Martinicans, particularly those living in the center and south of the island, have had to deal with rotating water cuts due to the drop in river flow. Around twenty schools had to close, because they could not ensure the sanitary conditions for welcoming students. To the lack of rain are added heat records with temperatures “currently higher than 2°C from the known averages over the first five months of the year”depending on the prefecture.
