Repairing leaks, avoiding baths, recovering rainwater: just before the great summer heat, the government is launching a communication campaign on Saturday “Every gesture counts” intended to encourage water saving.
Everyone is invited to adopt now, and on a daily basis, six simple gestures in order to reduce their water consumption: Install an aerator on the taps and an economical shower head; check and repair leaks; take a shower (4-5 minutes) and avoid baths; install a rainwater collector; install a drip for watering or even plant plants that require little water.
After the hottest summer ever recorded in Europe in 2022 and while the country is in the process of getting organized to adapt to a temperature rise of 4°C in 2100, the Minister for Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu and the Secretary of State for Ecology Bérangère Couillard want to raise awareness through this campaign about the preservation of water resources.
Because despite late rains in May in several regions, a large majority of French groundwater remains at worrying levels, confirming the forecasts of a new summer drought, according to the latest monthly report from the Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM) published May 17. As of May 1, 68% of the water tables are still at “moderately low to very low levels”, including 20% at very low levels, according to BRGM.