Half of the French Caribbean department of Guadeloupe has been placed under a drought alert, with restrictions on water use, because of a decline in groundwater levels.
The prefecture of Guadeloupe has placed Grande-Terre, the eastern half of the territory, and the island of Désirade under a drought alert, with water use restrictions to allow for the continued supply of drinking water.
In an order issued on Friday, the prefecture described an "observed deterioration over several weeks of groundwater levels in Grande-Terre", along with "chronic problems linked to the malfunctioning of the drinking water distribution network".
This puts about half of Guadeloupe under strict water use restrictions, applicable to individuals, businesses and farmers, with particular prohibitions against filling or emptying personal swimming pools, washing cars at home, cleaning driveways or terraces with water and watering large lawns and flowerbeds.
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An exception allows people to water vegetable gardens in the evenings, between 8pm and midnight.
The rest of the department, except for the island of Marie-Galante, is on a "vigilance", a status that means no restrictions are in place, but people are urged to use water responsibly.
The prefecture has warned that the situation could persist, because "replenishing the water tables is a slow process that requires several weeks of effective rainfall".
The dry season in the Caribbean runs through April and May, and the Caribbean Climate Outlook has predicted below-normal rainfall from April to June.
The outlook also warns that unusually warm waters in the North Atlantic could trigger severe weather activity across parts of the Caribbean at the start of the rainy season, including flooding, flash floods and cascading events.0
(with newswires)
