Open in new tab

2022-09-24 00:12:33 By : Ms. Grace Xu

Daniel Martel fills the tank of his truck with water in order to supply it to the villages of the area, as an historical drought hits France, in Fayence, France August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Seillans, FRANCE, Aug 16 (Reuters) - In Seillans, southern France, age-old stone fountains are empty, and taps in homes are only kept running - up to a strict daily limit - thanks to water trucks, because its natural springs are dry.

As the country, like much of Europe, battles drought and record temperatures, residents of the picturesque village who used to water gardens or fill pans, bathtubs and pools without thinking now have to do thing very differently, said mayor Rene Hugot.

"There are a few clouds once in a while but no water, never any water, not a drop (of rain)," he said as he sat next to a dry fountain.

"We're getting a little desperate because the situation is not getting better... (So) everyone has reduced their water use."

Water usage levels are checked every week to ensure all Seillans households are respecting a per-person limit of 150 litres (33 gallons) per day.

Those that don't get a device fitted to their supply pipe that limits how much water comes out, and how quickly, said Eric Martel, head of water utility facilities for the Fayence area that Seillans is part of.

And for water to reach the village and some others nearby at all, it has to transported in from areas where flows from the network of springs that supplies the region are still strong enough to permit its extraction.

"It's an exceptional situation," Martel said, noting that very little rain has fallen there since last autumn.

"What worries us is the coming winter and spring. If we don't have some rain then, we'll be in a dramatic situation."

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Diplomatic efforts by French President Emmanuel Macron in response to the war in Ukraine were a failure and "deeply harmful" for Kyiv, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO secretary-general, said in an interview published on Friday.

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.

The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs.

The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals.

Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile.

Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts.

Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks.

All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.