No Water Today

On May 2nd I posted a picture of an empty stream on my Instagram account @savingtheplanetwithtaco, and I think I could say we'd only had four or five days this year of proper warm weather so far, the kind that was hitting 27 degrees centigrade. The 35 to 40s were yet to come! And already one of our streams was dry. It was one that is cared for and had been cleared for flow - it was just water it needed.

This morning I heard the President of the French Chamber of Agriculture, Sébastien Windsor, talking.

He described West France where we are as ok so far on water availability, as we'd had a fairly wet Spring. For the North of France, we'd had a dry winter so the water tables were fairly low - but with quite a lot of rain in March and April, again he was not too worried. Where he was very concerned was the South East of France where he said the lack of rainfall meant the area was like the Middle East in terms of rainfall.

"The area currently has no water reserve and no water table available for irrigation and with a very dry Spring I am worried for all types of production, vegetable, fruit and grass production, the capacity to feed the cattle. The government has helped by implementing a new insurance system to help farmers - an insurance the farmer has to take out for a fairly available price - that will help the farmers in the short term. But what we need to do with the help of the government is to be able to build some reserves to be able to store water from winter's snow and rivers, or any short periods where there is a lot of rain, for summer production needs. Such installations would be a more efficient long-term help. Of course, the way farming is done has to be looked at. We have to look at what we are producing, and the way we are doing irrigation, like drop-by-drop irrigation rather than larger irrigation, there is a lot to look at. But certainly, we have to look at storing water rather than pumping it from the water table."

All this brings into question how countries should go about storing water reserves. It is a complex matter with much to consider.

• Reservoirs can ensure a consistent supply of water for agriculture, drinking water, and other uses throughout the year.

• Many reservoirs in France are used to generate hydroelectric power.

• Reservoirs can also be used to control flooding by capturing excess water during heavy rains and releasing it gradually.

• The construction of reservoirs can have significant environmental impacts, such as altering river flows, disrupting ecosystems, and displacing wildlife.

• Building and maintaining reservoirs can be expensive, and the cost may outweigh the benefits.

• Reservoirs can have an impact on water quality, especially if they are not managed properly.

• Access to water needs to be granted fairly and equitably. Building a reservoir may lead to a decline in the local water table and if everyone cannot have access to the reservoir some will go without.

• No one would want a reservoir that captures groundwater to release water through evaporation when it could be stored in the water table underground.

It is a complex matter for sure, and one that needs local review based on local issues.