“France is on alert”, admitted the Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu on Wednesday February 22 on Franceinfo, while mainland France has not experienced real rain for thirty-two days, exceeding a record dating back to of 2020 and “unheard of in a meteorological winter” since the start of measurements in 1959, according to Météo-France.
Mr. Béchu will chair a hydrological anticipation and monitoring committee (CASH) on Thursday, February 23 – the first of the year. Such an early date is “unprecedented” but it is essential “to anticipate, to avoid ending up in a catastrophic situation in July”, he says. This committee will be followed by a point, Monday, February 27, with all the prefects. “Soft” restrictive measures could be taken from this date.
This lack of precipitation compromises the recovery of groundwater, depleted by last year’s historic drought. The Minister for Ecological Transition notably mentioned groundwater with “two months late in terms of filling”.
