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In Poitou, farmers have been able to store water in large basins. But the infrastructures are the object of sabotage attempts.
They have been waiting for this site for a long time. Because for the farmers of Poitou, irrigation is vital. After years of battle, they will be able to benefit from a water reserve of 240,000 cubic meters. The reservoir is filled in winter by pumping from the groundwater. “If tomorrow, we do not have the security of water, our herd will disappear”, says Basile Baudoin, goat breeder.
Sixteen water reserves are to be built over the next three years, mainly in the Poitevin marsh area. But these projects arouse strong opposition. Collectives denounce the plunder of water for the benefit of intensive agriculture. “It’s a 1950s-style land use planning”, critic Julien Le Guet, spokesperson for the collective “Bassine non merci”. “The best way to store water is in groundwater”. To prevent sabotage, the site is monitored day and night.