This Thursday, June 13, the signing of the partnership charter “Water in the Territories of the Alpes-Maritimes” took place. This agreement aims to mobilize and unite the territories of the Alpes-Maritimes around the management of water, an essential and uncertain resource.
At the Mediterranean Institute of Risk, Environment and Sustainable Development (IMREDD), various stakeholders from the Alpes-Maritimes gathered to sign the Water Partnership Charter.
What is the purpose of the charter? This signing represents the union of local authorities around a major issue: water management in the department. For Emmanuel Tric, director of IMREDD, the objective is to “bring together the academic world and the socio-economic world around questions and reflections.”
In an enthusiastic atmosphere, the convention was signed by the stakeholders of the Alpes-Maritimes territories, the representatives of the maralpine cities.
Uniting in the face of the “whims of water”
Jeanick Brisswalter, president of Université Côte d’Azur, details the scope of this convention. He emphasizes the importance of water management: “This affects us all, so it interests us all.” During his speech, he assures the effectiveness of knowledge if combined with innovations. The goal is to establish a “scientific diplomacy,” which means aligning researchers and policymakers around a topic. But “each territory has its own action,” he insists.
Charles Ange Ginésy, president of the departmental council of the Alpes-Maritimes, praises the project: “We set an example. There are not two departments that have created a unique union.“
To illustrate the drought affecting the department, he refers to the “whims of water,” meaning the difficulty of aquifers refilling in the Alpes-Maritimes. If water flows, it “does not always fall where we want, when we want, how we want, and in the quantities we would like.“
To support the projects of the charter, he mentions the budget released by the department of 130 million euros. The financial plan, over several years, is structured into three parts:
- Saving water (search for conduit leaks). Today, in the A-M, leaks are estimated at 32 million m3, details Charles Ange Ginésy.
- Providing individual water reserves for those who want water collectors
- Implementation of large projects in inter-communities
Weather Report Alpes-Maritimes June 13, 2050
As usual, Louis Bodin shows us on his screen what awaits us in 2050 in the department, based on a study by Météo-France.
He echoes the speech of Charles Ange Ginésy: the Alpes Maritimes is a territory particularly affected by drought. The figures are striking, and the conclusions are alarming: 42°C on the plains in the afternoon.
“The air is unbreathable, we must get used to it,” he comments. He foresees a radical change in the coastline and a different chain of life: “either the species suffer, or they will adapt.”