“The summer of 2022 has left its mark, and we have learned from it”emphasizes Jean-Marc Verchère, president of Angers Loire Métropole, in the preamble to the presentation of the water management plan prepared by the urban community. “Last year we had to react urgently to deal with the restrictive measures imposed by the drought. We know that these climatic episodes will repeat themselves, and this is the case this year with very insufficient rainfall. We We have therefore identified, at all levels of the community, the levers to be activated to respond to the different levels of shortage.
Thus, while in the middle of June the department is placed in a situation of “vigilance”, restrictions are already applied which make it possible to save half of the water usually consumed by the services of the Metropolis and its central city (watering, cleaning of roads, fountains, etc.). These restrictions are gradually tightened, reaching 90% in a crisis situation.
See the details of the plan implemented by Angers Loire Métropole and the City of Angers
If this plan was drawn up with the services of the City of Angers, which represent the largest volumes, it is “all the municipalities associated with itexplains Jean-Paul Pavillon, vice-president of Angers Loire Métropole in charge of the water cycle. To this end, we have created a resilience cell, which exchanges with elected officials and technical services from the entire urban community, to share best practices and inform almost in real time of the evolution of water resources and their implications.
Indeed, the measures provided for in the plan are intended to evolve to adapt to the provisions issued by the prefecture, which themselves depend on the weather situation. By its magnitude, the drought of 2022 has become a reference for the development of the plan, but climate change will bring other extreme situations, the intensity and precise consequences of which for the territory remain difficult to anticipate. “This is the challenge of the resilience cell: mobilizing the actors and identifying the possibilities of action to react quickly, effectively”insists Jean-Paul Pavillon.
Adapt the territory to global warming
Beyond crisis management, the water management plan is part of the overall framework for the adaptation of the territory. The deployment of the Intelligent Territory is an illustration of this, with in particular the use of humidity sensors to regulate watering as closely as possible to needs, without waste. Ditto with the second tram line, 80% of the track is in the ground to allow better resistance of the grass. Tests are also carried out with the same objective: drip irrigation, diversification of grass varieties, differentiated mowing…
More generally, Angers Loire Métropole voted its Climate Change Adaptation Plan in January 2023, which lists 120 actions to be implemented to promote the region’s resilience in the face of global warming.
2023-06-15 07:22:38
#water #management #plan #deal #drought
