It was a minor incident that occurred this Sunday around 1:30 p.m. on the barge Horizon, then in the middle of a Sunday cruise. “We had embarked on the barge when after three quarters of an hour, after the Fer-à-Cheval, we got stuck in the middle of the river”, relates a passenger, Léa Gourdon. Shortly after, the manager, Jules Baupin called on the Bateaux Toulousains to tow us. This incident ends well. Except that the passengers did not take advantage of their Sunday cruise”. Léa has been on this cruise several times since last year: “Everything has always gone well. I think this incident is also linked to the heat which reduces the height of the waters of the Garonne. In addition, no indication such as buoys indicates this problem on the river”.

Global warming impacts the height of the water

Jules Baupin, responsible with Ludovic Lumbroso for this boarding, assures us that this incident is insignificant: “we were only blocked for forty minutes. It’s not a big deal. There is also no fear for the rest of the season: the barge Horizon continues its cruises over the water”. However, he recalls that a problem remains: “At this place, the water is not dredged. No signs indicate this. We have also passed on the information”.
A fluvial technician explains: “In Toulouse, the lake of the Garonne is a swimming pool with an edge which is the step of the Bazacle. You should know that the shoals or sandbanks vary in particular with the weather. A boat that is too loaded can therefore find itself stuck. “In addition, specifies this technician, there has been no navigation on the river for several months, the waterways have therefore not been traced. Obviously the question of climate change also plays its role in the height of the water. This Sunday, according to the Vigie Crue site, the height of the Garonne was 0.60 cm at Pont-Neuf. It’s not much “.