the level of the channels under close surveillance
The Waterways of France, responsible for water management, ensure that the situation is “under control” for the moment.
The drought continues to affect the Nord and Pas-de-Calais. After the drought alert for several basins in the region in recent days, such as those of the Sambre and the Yser, the level of the canals is now closely monitored by the Voies Navigables de France (VNF).
With the high temperatures and the lack of rain, river traffic is threatened in the region, while this sector allows the transport of 10 million tonnes of goods each year, i.e. nearly 400,000 trucks.
A situation “under control” but in tension
According to the deputy director of Voies Navigables de France in Nord-Pas-de-Calais Olivier Matrat, guest of BFM Grand Lille on Tuesday, the “situation of the canals is maintained and under control”, even if “at this stage, on a sectors where flows are relatively low on the downstream Scarpe, the Marque and the downstream Scheldt”.
“Indeed, it puts us in tension on the holding of the levels of the canals on the Aa delta, the Dunkirk Escaut canal, the upstream Scarpe and the Sambre à l’Oise”, he remarks.
But “if the situation of drought and high heat continues, the tension will continue,” he worries.
120 sensors to monitor the situation closely
To ensure the proper functioning of the canals, Voies Navigables de France uses sensors that allow them to monitor the situation every day.
“A network of 120 sensors distributed throughout the territory and which allows us to constantly know the levels in the canals. There is a dedicated team which monitors these levels throughout the year to anticipate crisis management and we to identify negative signs upstream”, explains Olivier Matrat.
Despite these tensions, however, he confirms that the level of these 680 km of canals is not lower than in previous summers and remains optimistic for this year.
“The VNF network recovers about 80% of the water from the streams in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais regions, which is considerable. It also means that as soon as there is the slightest rain, we have a network that is extremely responsive and will recharge very quickly”, he explains.
But as far as the rain is concerned, it is only granted “in the night of Thursday to Friday” for the moment and will probably be insufficient to maintain the level of the channels.
For Olivier Matrat, however, it will have to “improve the situation a little bit and hold out a little longer” but the VNFs are preparing “if necessary, to enter into crisis management”, he warns.
Record weather in July in the region
Meteorologists had never measured such a hot, dry and sunny month of July in France. The Nord and Pas-de-Calais reached record levels that had not been beaten since the 1950s.
First in terms of sunshine, with 290 hours of sunshine in Lille and 310 hours in Calais. These values have almost doubled compared to seasonal norms. And if the sun was the main actor of this month, the rain, on the contrary, was almost absent.
The rainfall deficit has never been so high. There is an 81% deficit in Dunkirk, and 95% in Boulogne-sur-Mer. In Lille, only 5 mm of rain fell in July. Usually, in July, it can fall “between 60 and 70 litres” according to the meteorologist and director of Agate Météo Patrick Marlière.
The episode of high heat is not over in Hauts-de-France, which should expect new photos of heat in August.
In the North, the Yser basin is in a crisis situation. Several basins in Pas-de-Calais are on heightened alert. Restrictions are in place locally.