Anne Fretey, 53, from Troyes (Aube), aware of the problem at the national level, has not washed her car «for a while» but was «not at all aware» of the particularly glaring lack of water on the Riviera.

Like 87 other municipalities in the Var department, Hyères is in a drought «crisis», the highest level of alert. The rivers are at their lowest, in a region where consumption is well above average (228 liters per day per person, against 109 liters for Nord-Pas-de-Calais).

Anne discovers that the beach shower is dry, the only visible sign for summer visitors of the current restrictions. Just above the push button, a sticker informs of a water cut in the showers since May – the start of the drought alert in the town.

But in the streets of the city center and at the entrance to tourist sites, there are no signs informing you of the lack of water and the need to use this resource sparingly.

Beyond the restrictions, Anne Setimelli, founder of the Var environmental association «Explore and preserve», believes that it would be necessary to «rethink the use of water» and for example definitively close the beach showers in favor of points drinking water «to fill your water bottle and avoid plastic bottles».

The activist regrets that «politicians do not raise enough awareness among the general public in a territory that is under very strong tourist pressure».

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is at the top of the most attractive regions of France this season, with a «return in force» of tourists at the same level as before the Covid-19 epidemic, according to the Committee regional tourism.

– Overflowing swimming pool –

On the Giens peninsula, still in Hyères, campsites near the Mediterranean beaches fill up in August. In a four-star establishment, the oleanders shine and the swimming pool overflows: the staff has not heard of the restrictions, and in particular the ban on filling the swimming pools in this «crisis» situation.

Contacted by AFP, an environmental police officer in the region nuance: establishments can request an exemption from the prefects, «who tend to grant it when the swimming pools are collective in times of heat wave», invoking «public health issues».

At the edge of the turquoise blue basin, Grégory Prudhomme, 52, who came with his family from Pas-de-Calais, remarks that «the swimming pool is not that big» and prefers to point out the campsites equipped with «oversized swimming pools, with slides», or even the individual pools of the villas.

A few kilometers further, at the holiday center of the National Union of Outdoor Sports Centers (UCPA), there is no swimming pool. “We are 25 meters from the sea, it would be an aberration”, assures Gaspard Dalle, sports manager, while acknowledging that “UCPA centers with swimming pools register between 30 and 40% more reservations than the others”.

In front of the shed where diving suits and life jackets are stored, a sign warns: «Every drop counts». Gaspard Dalle designates a large 500-litre tank, «fresh water and a disinfectant product», in which holidaymakers must desalinate their outfits: to adapt to the drought, the water is only changed once per day instead of two.

Ditto for rinsing nautical equipment (boards, catamarans, etc.), essential to its durability: «We only rinse once a week instead of every day».

In this holiday center partner of the Port-Cros National Park, ecology is one of the strong values: the collective canteen system, the control of air conditioning and education in biodiversity bear witness to this.

«Customers expect a minimum of quality and of course restricting water and air conditioning can harm this quality, but I think it’s part of an essential education», reflects Gaspard. In particular to reduce tourist pressure on natural resources: While a French person consumes an average of 148 liters of water per day, his use increases to 230 liters of water per day on vacation, according to the Information Center on water.