The drought intensifies in Drôme and Ardèche. The two prefectures announced this Friday new decrees restricting the use of water. From now on, with the exception of a small mountain area in Ardèche and the edge of the Rhône in the South Drôme, the two departments are on alert. The rain that fell in the middle of the week did not change anything. River flow continues to decline. On the Ardèche side, the prefect imposes the first restrictions on the watersheds of the Ardèche and the Eyrieux which pass to the alert level. On the Drôme side, it is the Valloire area which is on alert in the north of the department.
Several sectors already on “enhanced alert”
These decisions are in addition to the restrictions already taken on the other watersheds. Some of them are even already on heightened alert: the Ouvèze basin from Privas to Pouzin, Galaure in the Drôme hills, the entire plain of Valence, the Drôme valley and around Montélimar.
In heightened alert, for individuals, it is notably forbidden to water lawns and the watering of vegetable gardens is theoretically limited to three evenings a week. At alert level, watering of lawns is authorized three nights a week and for vegetable gardens, it is advisable to avoid watering between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the hottest time of the day. In reality, everyone is asked to use common sense, that is to say toavoid wasting water.