Out of the 127 fountains listed by the City of Nice, only 108 are in usable condition. This was highlighted yesterday afternoon by the Citizen Observatory.
“Small streams make great rivers.” This is how Patrick Allemand and Paul Cuturello – Municipal and Metropolitan Councilors, of the “Another Future for Nice” Group – portrayed yesterday the rather curious situation currently affecting the public fountains in Nice.
“Out of the 127 fountains recorded by the City, only 116 are usable. 11 are counted twice,” explains P. Allemand.
This finding was established by the Citizen Observatory of Nice’s fountains. Created following the closure of the public fountain at Place du Pin last July – at the request of shopkeepers complaining about nuisances and the presence of homeless people – it brings together nearly 22 partners and quickly gained attention following the petition “water for everyone in Nice!”, which gathered more than 1,066 signatures in a few days.
“In August, following the level 3 heatwave plan, the Prefect ordered the reopening of the fountain at Place du Pin. This inspired us to ask the Mayor for a complete list of fountains and water points as well as the corresponding mapping.”
The listed fountains have been distributed across the nine territories of the City. “From the list published on the City of Nice’s website that lists 127 fountains, this participatory method reduced this number to 116 after verification.” 108 fountains out of 127 are therefore operational, as, in addition to the 11 fountains counted twice, 8 out of the 116 are not functioning.
“What this check also reveals is that out of the 108 operational fountains, 79, i.e., 68% of them, are not accessible 24/7 as they are located in closed parks and gardens, shut from 8 PM to 8 AM in the summer. Yet, access to water is a right for everyone!” adds Paul Cuturello. “The inaccessibility of fountains does not comply with the spirit of the right. Some have no other access to water than via public fountains. Therefore, their rights are not respected.”
In conclusion, according to the Citizen Observatory, only 37 fountains are accessible 24/7. “We will reach out to the Mayor to implement a plan for the fountains. It’s a matter of rights, public utility, and common sense,” concluded Patrick Allemand and Paul Cuturello yesterday afternoon.
