Here we take action. The risk of drought is increasingly real in our region.

The question is no longer whether we will one day be severely confronted with water shortages, but rather when. A luxury considering all these areas of the globe that have been affected for a long time.

In our region, despite a favorable landscape, the observation of Nicolas Alban, director of the Lyon delegation, Rhône Méditerranée Corse Water Agency is there: "We have a fairly dichotomous resource. Made up of many small, fragile rivers. Three out of four watersheds and one out of four water tables are fragile, that is to say, they have been overdrawn for their capacity. And besides that, we are lucky to have the Rhône." Without even mentioning the quality of this water .

This did not prevent us from experiencing water restrictions in 2022-2023. This is the first effect of the lack of water availability, having to share it in a measured way . Agriculture (58%), individual consumption (26%), power plant cooling (12%) and industry (4%), this is the average distribution in France, "essential needs" recalls Justine Vidil, co-founder of InovaYa , a French company dedicated to improving water management. And which call for collective reflection and management.

This is why, for example, VNF, Voies navigables de France, has decided "to establish partnerships," explains Christophe Wendling, territorial director, to make its works available to the collective.

Among the concrete examples, this consequence of the drought in the Camargue Gardoise which causes the salt to rise and makes certain lands unsuitable for cultivation, "we use our locks ten times more to release fresh water and help to counter this problem".

At InovaYa, we work with manufacturers to reduce their water consumption, as in Valrhona's chocolate production. On the Water Agency side, we finance a number of projects, "but the solutions we prefer are those that reduce water dependence. Like this company near Bourgoin that makes ice cream. They bought a new machine that allows them to save 90% of their water consumption. 20,000 m³ for a €10,000 investment."