River freight displays a much better carbon footprint than road transport. However, it remains under-exploited in France, and the drop in the water level this summer stresses that it must adapt to climate change.
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From memory of boatmen and river shipowners, we had rarely experienced such a difficult situation on certain channels in France since 1976, the year of the “Great Drought”. That of the summer of 2022 reduced the flow of rivers and lowered the water line, affecting the transport of goods and river tourism in certain French regions, notably the North East. But despite the persistence of the deficit in the rain, the situation remains stable, according to Voies Navigables de France (VNF).
“Currently, 591 kilometers of channels had to be closed, less than 10 % of the 6,700 kilometers we manage”, underlines Cécile AVEARD, Rhône-Saône territorial director of the public establishment. If we only consider the canals with a small double vocation transport and tourism template, the percentage reaches 15 %. “The situation is very contrasting depending on the regions,” she notes. The Champagne-Bourgogne, Saône-Marne, the Vosges canal, the Burgundy canal, that of the Meuse, the Marne-Rhin link (to Nancy) had to be closed, as well as a part of the Moselle. As in the Langres region (Haute-Marne), it is often a question of giving priority to the supply of drinking water.
If the northeast is more affected, it is because the diet of the channels connecting rivers and rivers is fragile and could not be provided by natural rivers. The capacity of the fifty reservoir dams used to regulate their level has also dropped. This sometimes obliges the chargers to limit the carrying capacity of the boats to a third party so as not to touch the bottom. Other areas have also given priority to tourism activity, crucial in this season. “VNF manages the situation with the operators of river tourism and anticipates so that the boats are moved to the sectors where the water level is good,” explains M me on the.
“Not saturated”
France, according to her, has an “extremely resilient network”, which allows the continuation of all the economic uses of water: transport, electricity production, crop irrigation and tourism. Much less strategic than in Germany, transport on the main roads equipped with reservoir dams (Rhône, Seine, Oise, Saône, Yonne …), allowing to slow down the flow to the sea, was not very disrupted.
Without creating new reservoirs, only filled at 43 % at the moment, the restraint could go from 165 million cubic meters to 190 million cubic meters, it is estimated in VNF, which negotiates with Local communities, co -financiers of projects. “The network is fluid and not saturated, explains Thierry Guimbaud, Managing Director of VNF. He could accommodate up to four times more traffic on certain axes, such as the Seine and the Rhône.”
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