Après la sécheresse des années 1984-1987 dans le bassin de la Garonne (France) : Recommandations pour l'avenir

After the drought of the years 1984-1987 in the Garonne Basin. Recommendations for the future

Compagnie d'aménagement des côteaux de Gascogne

Abstract

Reservoirs not sufficiently filled up several years running, irrigation needs left unsatisfied, the flow rate of the big rivers and the Garonne itself too weak to guarantee supplies of drinking water and public health, measures banning irrigation leading to big economic losses: these are the main features of the dry period which began in the Summer of 1984 and which ended in 1987.

In the first part of the present article we present a short hydro-climatological analysis of the phenomenon. We will see that it must be taken into account because it will occur 5 times every 100 years.

In the second part, after asking how efficient emergency measures which forbid irrigation are, we give some elements of the strategy set up since this period.