Who consumes the most water in France?

Each year, 211 billion cubic meters of water arrive in France, either from the sky or by rivers from neighboring countries. There are only 30 billion. You could say that we are not likely to miss it, but it is only an illusion. Because a sector consumes more than all the others: agriculture. Because drinking water is an increasingly rare resource, which creates tensions and conflicts of use.

First info: farmers alone represent 58 % of water consumption. Corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruit require more and more water. As a result, irrigated areas increased by 23 % between 2010 and 2020. Today, even vines must have watered.

The second info is that there is less and less drinking water available in summer. As it rains the least, when droughts are more and more frequent, demand increases. To fill the pools, water the gardens, each French uses 150 liters of drinking water per day. Add to that the pollution that contaminates water, and leaks, because of poor maintenance, in the pipes: 1 liter out of 5 on average does not happen to destination. In rural areas, it is sometimes 1 liter out of 2. As the water becomes scarce, a battle for its use begins.

This is our third info. Each year since 2015, more than half of the French departments have been in water restrictions during the summer. To the point that some will seek water in their corners: 9 % of the houses would have a domestic borehole. Only 1 in 50 would be declared. This represents several hundred million cubic meters per year.

Government

INRAE

Non -exhaustive list.