Najib Mahfoudhi, Interministerial coordinator of the water plan – French overseas departments, Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion (testimonial from “The Explore2 project, hydrological projections to adapt water resource management” dossier – 2024)
“I’m in charge of the French overseas departments’ water plan, which aims to support the local authorities there in managing water and sanitation. I rely on an interministerial team and a project team based in the DEALs. In the Water and Biodiversity Directorate (DEB), I deal with biodiversity issues across the board. As pillars for these public policies, hydroclimatic projections are very important to us. Overseas France is faced with both hazards and climate change, which has a major impact on the alternation between dry and wet seasons. It has therefore been decided, in conjunction with OiEau and INRAE, to set up a working group in each territory, bringing together those involved in water and climate change, in order to gain a better understanding of the data available, the projects already carried out or underway, and to identify the scientific obstacles to overcome. The medium-term objective is to carry out an Explore2-type exercise in the French overseas territories. The project leader for each territory, OiEau, INRAE and the DEB are organising meetings to discuss needs so that we have a trajectory for each territory to launch the process.”
Testimonial from our thematic dossier
Thematic dossier
The Explore2 project, hydrological projections to adapt water resource management
Explore2 is a first-of-its-kind project in Europe because of the mass of data produced. These projections and the associated technical documents, drawn up thanks to the collaboration of a large scientific community and two user committees, make it possible to undertake regional studies on the availability of water resources throughout the 21st century and to anticipate their management.
