Many French are getting increasingly upset with their government for not imposing stricter restrictions on water use, allowing the watering of golf courses even amid the highest drought alert.
Departments
Only three departments ( the second-tier administrative subdivisions of France) have not imposed water consumption limits as a result of the catastrophic and unprecedented drought that has gripped the country. The top red alert has been issued by 62 of the 96 departments. Additionally, it has been reported that more than a hundred villages and municipalities have run out of drinking water.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has established an inter-ministerial crisis management unit to address the dramatic situation, since no precipitation is expected over the next two weeks, meaning that the drought will persist and may even worsen. To avoid any hitches in the healthcare system, civilian safety, and drinking water supplies, the prime minister and her crisis management team have urged businesses and citizens to save water.
The ORSEC Plan
In the most severely impacted areas, the government would, if necessary, implement the so-called ORSEC plan, utilized in crises, according to the prime minister’s statement. The government requests that prefects of departments work with ministries and water authorities and report on the situation on a regular basis so that, if necessary, civil defense measures can be introduced quickly, paying particular attention to the organization of transporting drinking water and the water supply to the towns. The cabinet will also keep an eye on how the drought is affecting energy production, transportation systems, and agriculture, with a particular focus on animal husbandry. Government officials have stated that it could be required to rank settlements according to how well they use the water that is available.
In the most severely impacted areas, the government would, if necessary, implement the so-called ORSEC plan
The prime minister has urged the populace to use water very sparingly and has said that all essential procedures have been taken to ensure that health care, public safety, and drinking water supplies are given priority while using the available resources. All non-priority sectors and ordinary citizens alike will most probably be impacted by these restrictions. The locations of concern will be monitored, controlled, and the public will be made aware of the efforts being made by staff from the French Biodiversity Agency, who will also be in charge of penalizing violations if necessary.
The Droughts
According to Minister for Ecological Transition Christian Bechu, as of 5 August, more than 100 communities around the nation were known to have run out of drinking water. The shortage and drought, which the prime minister called historic, are undoubtedly escalating to unprecedented levels. Tankers are being used in the affected municipalities to provide the populace with drinking water, as water mains are completely dry. The supplying of small settlements in the hilly regions, however, may pose logistical and transportation issues, according to the minister. Further limitations will be required to prevent a major scarcity of drinking water in other municipalities that are experiencing water shortages, the legislator noted, according to Le Figaro.
Measures Taken
Thus, the government’s decision not to prohibit the irrigation golf courses even though the entire nation is suffering from the extreme heat and the ensuing, unheard-of drought has generated heated debates. In particular, the mayor of Grenoble’s Green Party, Eric Piolle, a member of the left-leaning Nupes alliance, has called attention to what he sees as unsatisfactory drought-related rules released in June by the Ecological Transition Ministry. He has pointed out that the government is actually safeguarding ‘a rich man’s pastime’ by allowing golf courses to be watered even during the worst droughts, even though it is generally illegal to fill swimming pools and water gardens across the nation.
The section of the instructions pertaining to golf courses states that watering at golf facilities is banned during a red alert, which is the highest alert level, with the exception of the area around the starting points and golf holes. Only the hours between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. may be utilized to water the affected areas, and no more than 30 per cent of the usual water amount may be used. The wording emphasizes, however, that it is strictly forbidden to water golf courses in locations with a drinking water deficit.
It is strictly forbidden to water golf courses in locations with a drinking water deficit.
The section of the instructions pertaining to golf courses states that watering at golf facilities is banned during a red alert, which is the highest alert level, with the exception of the area around the starting points and golf holes. Only the hours between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. may be utilized to water the affected areas, and no more than 30 per cent of the usual water amount may be used. The wording emphasizes, however, that it is strictly forbidden to water golf courses in locations with a drinking water deficit.
The head of the French Golf Federation, Gerard Rougier, on the other hand, has defended the partial exemption of golf courses from the strictest restrictions. He stressed the need for watering, saying that a golf course without decent grass is like an ice rink without frozen ice, and that without a proper lawn, courses can just as well close. The nation’s 700 golf courses, according to the head of the golf organisation, employ 15,000 people, whose livelihoods would be in jeopardy if these facilities were to go. The Ministry of Ecological Transition also cautioned about the financial effects of closing golf courses, noting their importance from a commercial and touristic standpoint.
