Waste on the banks of the Garonne and in the trees, 5 towns south of the Haute-Garonne still deprived of drinking water…15 days after the floods, the scars of the floods are still there.

Five municipalities in the south of Haute-Garonne have still been deprived of drinking water since January 10, 2022. As for the association Champ d’actions, it continues to pick up plastics and rubbish on the banks of the Garonne, including in trees. .

The acting mayor of Saint-Béat (31) would have done well without that. But now, when she replaced the mayor for health concerns, she also obtained a flood of the Garonne depriving its inhabitants of drinking water for 15 days. Suffice to say that Anne Changeux is impatiently awaiting the results of the tests carried out yesterday Wednesday by the ARS. “For the first time, the analyzes carried out by Réseau 31 which measure the turbidity of the water and the presence of chlorine are good. All that remains is to wait for the analyzes of the ARS to find out what is going on. bacteria present.

Since January 10, the 400 inhabitants of Saint-Béat, but also those of Chaum, Fronsac, Eup and Marignac have been deprived of drinking water. Network 31 which manages the distribution and the town halls concerned therefore proceed to the distribution of bottles. 2 pallets each with 84 packs of water for Saint-Béat, 3 or 4 on weekends plus people with second homes.

The village’s drinking water catchment head broke during the weekend flooding. The earth entered the pipes and the tank, resulting in undrinkable water for the inhabitants. “Saint-Béat is a large rectangle crossed by the Garonne and canals. A meeting is planned with the joint syndicate to guard against future floods. More efficient valves should be put on the canals in order to close them in the event of flooding. We must also change the cofferdams so that they are more removable and more watertight.

For the moment, only La Poste remains closed for lack of cleaning of the premises. Good news for Anne Changeux: the work of the school is coming to an end. The children had been in Algéco structures for 2 years. They will find their school, at the end of February at the beginning of March, and the inhabitants of Saint-Béat a new mayor on February 6th. Anne Changeux is a candidate.

With the flooding of the Garonne and the garbage collection strike in Toulouse, the ecological consequences were terrible. For 15 days, no less than 3.5 tons of waste have been collected by the association Champ d’Avenir and volunteers. And yet, the heaviest is yet to come. “We first pick up everything that is plastic, tents, everything that is degraded quickly and that will pollute the Garonne. Everything is soaked in water and a simple blanket weighs a lot. In the spring, we will tackle the objects even heavier: suitcases, barriers, shopping carts that are often buried underground.”

Florence Ducroquetz keeps her spirits up but the task is very complicated. The litter is plentiful, including in the trees. With kayakers, it is therefore a question of approaching the banks to reach the waste suspended at the very top.

I have never seen so much rubbish pulverized with so much violence. We even found a shredded canoe 4 meters high!

Florence Ducroquetz, president of the association Champ d’actions

The neighborhoods of Amidonniers, Sept deniers and Prairie des Filtres have been cleaned. On the island of Ramier, access is more complicated. So this weekend the association gives an appointment to the volunteers on Saturday and Sunday.

The association denounces the lack of anticipation and intends to challenge public decision-makers. “The floods will increase. The alerts are not given early enough. We could have warned the homeless who sleep on the banks of the Garonne, put their things back together. Many have nothing now, no more sleeping bags or blankets. “They sleep on the floor between polystyrene. It’s a real scandal. We should also have recalled the garbage cans to prevent them from being found everywhere as far as Bordeaux. It’s a real ecological disaster.”

Several people of Albanian origin lived in barracks on the banks of the Garonne, in the Empalot district of Toulouse. Following the floods, the camp had been completely flooded. The Utopia 56 Toulouse association had alerted to their situation. Several people remained untraceable a few days later.

The camp accommodates 10 households, 27 people in total. According to the town hall of Toulouse, the city’s mediators found these Albanians in a square in the Empalot district. These people would have told them that 15 of them had returned to their country via the Ofii (French Office for Immigration and Integration). 12 migrants are still there and will be returned from the camp site.