Municipal decrees have been taken by the town hall of Hyères following the lack of rain observed for the last 6 months on the Golden Islands.
These are paradise islands that attract holidaymakers on sunny days. But this year, well before the scorching heat, the town hall of Hyères had to make arrangements.
These decrees follow the drought vigilance of the Var Prefecture issued on April 1, 2022 due to the rainfall deficit observed for the last 6 months on the islands.
What today requires taking measures to limitation of water use to promote drinking water needs.
In the local newspaper Var Matinthe mayor (LR) Jean-Pierre Giran, explains this crisis situation:
There are two effects that play on the reduction of resources: it has rained very little, and the Covid effect gives very high attendance even if we regulate it through the modifications that we have introduced in maritime transport to Porquerolles under the new public service delegation. The combination of these two effects makes the problem of water resources in Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Le Levant relatively acute.
The mayor (LR) of Hyères, Jean-Pierre Giran
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As the water tables are very low and have not recharged, the metropolitan water network services prefer to anticipate and “applying the precautionary principle”.
“The whole of Levant Island is placed on drought alert. A limitation of water use to promote drinking water needs is necessary”, specifies the decree.
A hundred people live all year round in this cradle of naturism. Some have second homes there.
The city ordinance states that “the critical level is reached in municipal raw water boreholes”.
On this island, there is no drinking water distribution network. The only way to get water is to have your private borehole. “To supply the inhabited part which is in Heliopolis, it’s complicated”recognizes the mayor.
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- For the island of Porquerolles
It was placed in a state of severe drought. Already, in September 2021, the state services were worried about the state of the groundwater.
In this decree, the prefecture specified that “Suez” (…) revealed on the wells and boreholes of the island of Porquerolles a significant salinity, resulting in a sharp decrease in the available resource.”
On this area of 12 km², 200 inhabitants live year-round and more than 15,000 a day in the summer.
The island has only one source of natural water supply: a reservoir of 1,000 cubic meters fed by drilling. The complement arrives by tanker, twice a day. That is a total of 760 cubic meters per day.
When consumption increases, Porquerolles then draws from the groundwater which is at its lowest. A management of water, or rather of its shortage, which is becoming problematic.
In July and August, the population is multiplied by 50.
We must also take into account the 1,500 boats anchored in front of the beaches or in the creeks of this protected site.
In the summer of 2018, as the water tables were depleted, water had to be transported by tanker from Hyères every day, which is very expensive for the municipality.
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For the moment, there is no underwater pipeline with the municipality. But the project is ongoing.
In addition to the lack of water, these paradise islands also face the risk of fire.
On these isolated lands, only aerial means would overcome a fire.
In 1897, Porquerolles, the largest of the Golden Islands, had been over two thirds of its area, ravaged by fire.
It is the smallest of the 3 islands and the least populated. Few possibilities of accommodation also.
Here, no cigarettes, pines, oaks and nature as far as the eye can see.
About thirty people live in this oasis of greenery all year round, only disturbed by the chirping of shearwaters, peregrine falcons and other blackbirds.
The tanker goes to Port-Cros at least once a week to supply this small island with drinking water.
The neighboring department of Alpes-Maritimes is also on drought alert due to the persistent lack of rainfall observed since September 2021.
The abnormally low level of river flows led the prefect to reinforce the restriction measures to deal with the drought.
This crisis situation being able to evolve, the first magistrate does not exclude, “if there were additional difficulties, to strengthen if necessary the device / alert and the restrictions even more”
The Mediterranean islands are not the only ones to suffer from the drought. In Brittany, the island of Groix in Morbihan suffers the same fate.
The island has few water resources and is in a state of drought, its inhabitants must ration water. If the drought persists, a tanker will also have to intervene, for the third time in 30 years.
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