While the Ministry of Ecological Transition placed this Thursday 22 departments at “very probable” risk of drought by the end of the summer, the prefect of Indre issued a new decree restricting the use of water. ‘water. They concern certain watersheds of the department.
Three basins placed in crisis
The prefecture has placed the Bouzanne, Trégonce and Fouzon watersheds in crisis, the highest level of restrictions.
The basins of Anglin upstream and downstream, in the south-west of the department, that of Indrois-Tourmente in the north, and, over a large eastern part of Indre, the basins of upstream Indre, Théols and Arnon.
Concretely, for individuals, this means that in all these areas, it is forbidden: to wash your car outside a professional station, to clean the facades and roofs, to water the lawns, to fill your swimming pool. For watering your vegetable garden, it is authorized before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m. only.
With regard to public spaces, the watering of wooded areas and the supply of ornamental fountains are also prohibited.
In crisis areas, it is also forbidden to water sports fields and golf greens.
The decree also regulates the agricultural and industrial uses of water according to the type of operation. Withdrawals from rivers, canals, water bodies and reservoirs are in particular totally banned for agricultural irrigation in crisis areas.
The decree can be viewed in full below:
The decree will come into effect Saturday, May 21 at midnight.
Such restrictions are taken according to the readings of the Indre Water Resource Observatory, which brings together the main users of the water resource (local authorities, agricultural profession, drinking water concessionaires, environmental associations, etc.). The lack of water in the department, as in the majority of the country, is due to a persistent winter drought.
The lack of precipitation in winter did not allow groundwater to recharge properly. In the first quarter of 2022, a rainfall deficit of between 40 and 50% was found compared to the mean data.