French court blocks new projects for 'méga-bassines' water storage
A French court has blocked construction of several massive underground water storage projects in Charente and south-west France, which had become the subject of heated protest.
France will cancel the construction of large-scale water reservoir projects - accounting for three million cubic metres of water - in south west France, after a ruling by the Poitiers Administrative Court on Tuesday that they were 'unsuited for the effects of climate change', according to Franceinfo.
'Méga-bassines' - underwater storage areas which farmers can use for irrigation in the event of a drought - have become a political hot topic after violent protests erupted at a construction site for méga-bassines at Saint-Soline in western France.
Several other similar projects had also been planned for the nearby area, but have been rejected by the courts.
The issue has become more than an agricultural one - with protesters pitching the dispute as an existential battle over who will control the increasingly-precious resource of water as the planets warms and droughts increase.
The new ruling will strike down the plans for 15 méga-bassines, affecting the nine méga-bassines planned for the Charente, Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sèvres départements, plus six others planned in the Vienne département.
The court noted that "in both cases, the projects were oversized," Franceinfo reported, quoting the judges' final decision. The total capacity for the méga-bassines would have been around three million cubic metres of water.
"The calculation of the volume of the projected reserves was based on old data, dating from the early 2000s, which no longer reflected the level of withdrawals actually made in summer over the last fifteen years," the judges wrote.
As for the nine méga-bassines meant for Charente, Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sevres, the court said that "the project is not associated with any real water-saving measures."
Prior to the ruling, climate activists across France had been expressing concerns over the reservoirs, seeing them as draining from natural groundwater supplies, which would make droughts worse for local residents and smaller farmers, particularly as climate change intensifies and drought becomes more common.
READ MORE: Méga-bassines: Why has a dispute over irrigation in French farmland turned violent?
In March 2023, two protesters at Sainte-Soline were severely injured, and several dozen police officers sustained injuries as well, and in October 2022, Molotov cocktails were thrown and more than 60 police officers injured in a three-day series of clashes.
Most recently, activists organised a week-long 'water convoy', consisting of hundreds of cyclists and several dozen tractors, to protest against the construction of méga-bassines.
Though Sainte-Soline is in the same region, Tuesday's ruling by the Poitiers Administrative court will not concern this site, which is part of the 16 reservoirs that French courts approved construction for in April 2023.
READ MORE: MAP: Where in France are water restrictions in place?
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France will cancel the construction of large-scale water reservoir projects - accounting for three million cubic metres of water - in south west France, after a ruling by the Poitiers Administrative Court on Tuesday that they were 'unsuited for the effects of climate change', according to Franceinfo.
'Méga-bassines' - underwater storage areas which farmers can use for irrigation in the event of a drought - have become a political hot topic after violent protests erupted at a construction site for méga-bassines at Saint-Soline in western France.
Several other similar projects had also been planned for the nearby area, but have been rejected by the courts.
The issue has become more than an agricultural one - with protesters pitching the dispute as an existential battle over who will control the increasingly-precious resource of water as the planets warms and droughts increase.
The new ruling will strike down the plans for 15 méga-bassines, affecting the nine méga-bassines planned for the Charente, Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sèvres départements, plus six others planned in the Vienne département.
The court noted that "in both cases, the projects were oversized," Franceinfo reported, quoting the judges' final decision. The total capacity for the méga-bassines would have been around three million cubic metres of water.
"The calculation of the volume of the projected reserves was based on old data, dating from the early 2000s, which no longer reflected the level of withdrawals actually made in summer over the last fifteen years," the judges wrote.
As for the nine méga-bassines meant for Charente, Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sevres, the court said that "the project is not associated with any real water-saving measures."
Prior to the ruling, climate activists across France had been expressing concerns over the reservoirs, seeing them as draining from natural groundwater supplies, which would make droughts worse for local residents and smaller farmers, particularly as climate change intensifies and drought becomes more common.
READ MORE: Méga-bassines: Why has a dispute over irrigation in French farmland turned violent?
In March 2023, two protesters at Sainte-Soline were severely injured, and several dozen police officers sustained injuries as well, and in October 2022, Molotov cocktails were thrown and more than 60 police officers injured in a three-day series of clashes.
Most recently, activists organised a week-long 'water convoy', consisting of hundreds of cyclists and several dozen tractors, to protest against the construction of méga-bassines.
Though Sainte-Soline is in the same region, Tuesday's ruling by the Poitiers Administrative court will not concern this site, which is part of the 16 reservoirs that French courts approved construction for in April 2023.
READ MORE: MAP: Where in France are water restrictions in place?
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