Drought alert in Indre. “We had a dry winter, notes Rik Vandererven, the director of the territories in Indre. Lhe situation is worrying, it has been noted that the winter recharge of groundwater, groundwater at the end of winter, is not at the rendezvous”.
“We have a rain deficit in the first quarter of this year. We are short of water on the order of 45% for this winter”, he says, guest of France Bleu Berry this Wednesday, April 27. And the rains of early April were not enough to fill the water tables. “It allowed to replenishhe acknowledges. But the effects of this rain are less important in terms of groundwater recharge since the vegetation is restarting. The water is pumped by the vegetation which restarts”.
Situation comparable to that of 2019
The finding is worrying. The situation is comparable to that of 2019, a particularly complicated year. “We had noticed breaks in the supply of drinking water in certain sectors”, recalls Rik Vandererven. Result : the entire department of Indre is placed on alert. “It means raising awareness”he says.
But the situation is more complicated in places. The Trégonce basin is placed on heightened alert. The Ringoire basin is in a crisis situation, which leads to restrictions on the use of water: watering of vegetable gardens prohibited during the day, vehicle washing prohibited except in stations equipped with a recycling system, prohibition of watering your lawn. Restrictions also apply to farmers.
Everyone can act in this situation
To avoid being hit again by a major drought this summer, everyone can actinsists the director of the territories of Indre. “It’s a collective responsibility, it concerns all water users, consumers, the citizens that we are”, recalls Rik Vandererven. It recalls simple and concrete actions: give priority to showers, avoid watering, set up water collection trays.