Since the beginning of the week, another heatwave hits France, already damaged by several heatwaves, before the summer even started. The entire country is placed in drought vigilance and the situation is not likely to get better, as almost no rainfalls are expected in the coming months. So, are Paris and the inner suburbs of Paris involved in the drought? Is the capital city likely to lack drinking water in the coming weeks?
Paris inhabitants are used to seeing water flowing from the tap, but could it all stop soon? Eau de Paris try to stay optimistic and consider fill rates are still normal for the season. The large lake-reservoirs – set Eastern of Paris – allow to supply the Paris area with enough drinking water, without risk of shortage. Frédéric Barrez – hydrologist at Eau de Paris – says groundwater is quite spared thanks to underground reservoirs still filled by the rainfalls from the past years.
Every two year, an exploitation plan allows the network to reduce some prior samples to avoid shortage ahead of time. Yet, the temperature of tap water can increase over the heatwaves. Eau de Paris asks Île-de-France inhabitants to watch out their water consumptions to save stock and avoid a water shortage over time, if temperatures are too high for too long.
