Beach showers (or not) on the Riviera
Many beaches on the Côte d'Azur have 'turned off the taps'. © All rights reserved
The beach showers are still working in Monaco, but what about in the Alpes-Maritimes?
At a conference on the drought held at Monaco’s Ministry of State on Thursday 11 May, the answer to the question of beach showers was immediate: they will remain open for hygiene reasons.
Advertising
Many beaches without showers
In the Alpes-Maritimes, a decree issued by the Préfecture prohibits the use of these showers during periods of drought, as they consume up to 40 litres of drinking water for every three minutes they are in use. In towns such as Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Villefranche, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Cagnes-sur-Mer, the order was quickly implemented and the showers were shut off. “There were cases of misuse, with people coming to fill jerrycans up from the showers or having whole conversations in the shower,” Corinne Guidon, Deputy Mayor for the Environment in Cagnes-sur-Mer, told TF1.
Monaco’s neighbouring towns are also affected: no showers on the sandy beaches of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Menton or Cap d’Ail. As for when they might resume operating, the prefectoral decree states that the measure will be in force until 31 October. Private beaches and beach clubs are not affected.
Nice and Antibes keep theirs on
Others were more reluctant to deprive beach-goers of a nice shower after their dip. “It is essential to be able to provide a tourist experience that befits a seaside resort of international renown,” wrote the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, in a letter to the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes. In Nice, Antibes and Villeneuve-Loubet, the showers remain in operation. It should be noted that in the latter two communes, the water flow has been reduced as far as possible.