TESTIMONIALS. Farmer, fisherman, mayor… In the middle of winter, they are already suffering from drought and fear “a water war”

“For us, good weather is when it rains.” Despite his smile, Philippe Jamme, a fisherman, has a hard time hiding his anxiety when he observes the sky above the Agly river, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Between the Mediterranean Sea and the snow of the Canigou peak, the water seems very close. However, the river is dry, this Tuesday, February 28. “There’s no more rain here”laments the fifty-year-old.

>> IN PICTURES. Dry river, lake at its lowest… visualize the “record” drought in the Pyrénées-Orientales

The Météo France readings seem to prove the fisherman right. “The rainfall deficit was 50% between September 2022 and February 2023 in the department, this is a record”, notes Adrian Bourgois, meteorologist. Sunday March 5, almost all of the Pyrénées-Orientales is thus placed on “enhanced alert” to drought and water restrictions are in force to try to preserve the precious resource. A dramatic situation that worries the inhabitants.

Between February 27 and March 1, we went from the plain of Roussillon to the mountains of the Pyrenees, to meet a fisherman, a couple of market gardeners, a mayor, a winegrower and a hydroelectric plant manager, all affected by this early drought and concerned about the upcoming summer season.

Daniel Aspe, mayor: “This is the first time in its history that the village has run out of water”

With his wooden stick, Daniel Aspe taps the pipes of the water tower in the village of Escaro, lost in the mountains of the Pyrénées-Orientales. “There, it’s full”, rejoices the mayor of the village. Good news for its 80 citizens, who will be able to open their taps in complete peace of mind… but always sparingly. Here, water has become a rare and precious commodity. After years of abundance, the source that fed the village is almost dry. “This is the first time in its history that Escaro has run out of water”, blows the 69-year-old city councilor, who was born in the town. “Usually, the source of the Lavanous is well fed by the river. As a child, I had water up to my knee there. Today, I fear that it will stop completely…”

At the end of January, a noisy ballet of tank trucks came up the winding road leading to the village. Ten deliveries of 10 cubic meters of water were poured into the water tower for a total of around 5,000 euros. An unforeseen expense that comes on top of another project: the fight against leaks. “Half the water leaves in nature”, sighs the mayor. So the waste hunt is on. A puddle of water on the ground suddenly catches his attention. “What is that ?”, asks Daniel Aspe aloud. False alarm, it is a piece of snow melting in a gutter. The chosen one can blow: “Now I’m always afraid that there are leaks everywhere!”

The game is not yet won. After a night spent monitoring the meters to identify leaks, the city councilor is still waiting for the arrival of the company responsible for sealing them. “I am told that they cannot go up because they are overbooked”, gets impatient Daniel Aspe. It must be said that other municipalities in the area have found themselves without drinking water in recent weeks. “I fear that these are only the beginnings of what will happen in the plain in the short term”, warns the mayor.

Emma and Yohan Ginesta le Sant, market gardeners: “In winter, we shouldn’t even need to water”

Feverish stalks of onions point to the surface of the earth. At the foot of the Canigou massif, in the heights of Finestret, Emma and Yohan Ginesta le Sant grow certified organic fruit and vegetables on four hectares. But for several months, their cabbages and salads no longer fill the baskets of customers of the neighboring Amap (Association for the maintenance of peasant agriculture, which allows consumers to buy locally grown products). “The season was so catastrophic that we could no longer fill the 40 weekly baskets”, deplores the 39-year-old market gardener. After a scorching summer and the almost total absence of water, the couple’s plantations did not hold up. A first in twelve years of operation. “Families were crying when we told them we had to stop the baskets, but we had no choice,” comments Emma, ​​floral tattoo on the face. From now on, their small production only supplies the weekly market in Perpignan.

Faced with the lack of rain, pumping systems and pipes have been installed in recent years to help local farmers. But technology does not solve everything. “The water flow is so low that we had to set up a WhatsApp group to warn others when we turn on the tap, explains Yohan, who has become addicted to weather forecasts. Normally, in winter, you shouldn’t even need to water in the open field!”

Soil irrigation is not their only concern. With the lack of rain, a whole series of new difficulties have arisen. “There are more and more pests, like these moths attacking our tomatoes”breathes Yohan in his greenhouse. “In summer, the slightest spark goes up in fire, it’s very stressful”, adds Emma. The couple does not want to resign themselves for as much. “We set up a drip system, we plant hedges and we select more resistant plants”, lists Yohan. His partner even thinks he has found a miracle solution: “Once we did the rain dance”she lets go in a nervous laugh.

Philippe Jamme, fisherman: “Without water, there is no more life”

Under the Estagel ford, a shoal of fish passes furtively, before turning around. “Here are the last drops of Agly”comments Philippe Jamme in his blue parka. “Do you realize? The river no longer goes to the sea! It stops there, and the fish are trapped.” Faced with this watercourse that looks like the end of a swamp, the administrator of the Pyrénées-Orientales fishing federation cannot help but dwell on his memories. “Here, 15 years ago, I used to take young people to practice fly fishing, remembers this 53-year-old fan. At the time, we had to wear waders, it was a treat. Today, we go there on foot and we don’t even have mud on our pants. It’s dramatic. Without water there is no life.”

After several decades of fishing in the most beautiful rivers and the highest lakes in the department, Philippe Jamme focuses on passing on his passion… and on maintaining natural resources. “The trout settlement area is shrinking from year to year and fishing areas are shrinking,” he is alarmed. According to him, the responsibilities are multiple. “Everyone pumps more or less legally in our reserves, to water or fill their swimming pool, plague the fifties. Everyone absolutely has to make an effort and share the resource.”

With these repeated droughts and last summer’s heat wave, climate change and its consequences are beginning to seriously scare him. “In prehistory, there was the war of fire, today, we are moving towards a war of water.”

Nicolas Mounié, director of a hydroelectric power station: “Water is no longer a suitable resource here”

Standing on his dam, hands on the railing, Nicolas Mounié watches the water flowing quietly in the Aude. At first glance, the flow seems normal and the fish continue on their way. However, the director of the small hydroelectric plant in the village of Quillan (Aude) is concerned. “At this time, there should be a lot of water passing over the dam, there, there is almost nothing…”, blows the fifties, wrapped in a thin down jacket. The precipitation announced in recent days by Météo France has never arrived: “We started to believe it… and then nothing at all.”

For the village, less rain means less electricity. Only three small cubic meters of water per second flow into the river at the end of February, compared to 15 to 20 in normal times at this time. Result: the main turbine of the hydroelectric plant is shut down. Only two giant screws still turn to the rhythm of the water. “We have a 20% drop in our production… That’s as many kilowatt hours as we have to buy from EDF to supply the 3,000 customers in the village”, explains the director in the face of plummeting production curves.

Since his arrival in May 2021, Nicolas Mounié has not had a single good period for the small powerhouse. So the director tries to see beyond the river. “Water is no longer the appropriate resource for producing electricity in our region”, he blurted, looking up. “We rather bet on the sun.” A few kilometers from the Aude, a large photovoltaic panel project should soon see the light of day to take over from the decline of the river.

France Crispeels, winemaker: “We are going back to old grape varieties that are more resistant to drought”

The concrete and stainless steel vats at Domaine Réveille are full to the brim. Despite the heat wave and the drought, the vines of France Crispeels withstood the summer of 2022. It must be said that for several decades already, its tortuous vines have been used to living in dry land. “Our old vines can withstand and get through these periods without too much difficulty, in particular thanks to their very deep roots”, explains the fifties, fleece jacket on the back. In its domain, nature thus tries to regulate itself, like the herbs that grow between its well-aligned vines.

Several signals are still beginning to alert France Crispeels. “It’s normal for it to be dry in summer. On the other hand, this winter drought is really problematic, she worries. We had one day of rain three weeks ago, and it was 24 degrees at Christmas!” So, for her next plantings, this winegrower is eyeing the other side of the border. “We are going back to old grape varieties from southern Catalonia, which are more resistant to drought”, she explains facing the Pyrenees which encircle one of her footbridges. At this place, the vine, too damaged, will completely give way to almond trees, which were usually found in the arid regions of Spain.