08/01/2006 - PARIS - France's environment minister Nelly Olin told a news conference last Thursday that her country could face a record drought in 2006.

According to Olin, the water table is now seriously low - after the heatwave in 2003, a dry 2004/2005 winter and a 50 percent drop in autumn rainfall in some areas in 2005.

"Even if it rains heavily in the next two and a half months, the water table will not be fully replenished," she said. "This could be a very difficult year, and perhaps a record in terms of drought. We don't feel very optimistic."

Olin’s warning was targeted at the general public but also at farmers who were in the process of deciding which spring crops to plant.
French farmers, and particularly those who grew irrigated maize in the southwest of the country, came under fire during last summer's drought for excessive water use.
The country's maize harvest in 2005 was 20 percent down on the year before due to the drought – despite irrigation.

Rationing as a solution

Even though France was not as badly hit as Spain, the government introduced water rationing across the country last summer in a bid to save water. The restrictions ranged from bans on car washing and filling swimming pools to limits on crop irrigation.

Olin warned that if water levels remained unchanged by the end of March even harsher curbs would be enforced this summer, which could involve water cuts in some areas.
A meeting of the national drought committee will be held in early February to decide what measures can be taken.

"Last year we managed to control the drought because we took precautionary measures but this year due to the severity of the situation we have been even more on alert," she added.
"If it rains in the next few months, that's for the best, but no-one will be able to say that we didn't do what had to be done."