| ||In Taponas, in the Rhône region, between the Beaujolais Hills and the ponds of the Dombes swamps, the Saône River overflowed in March 2001 and regained its main riverbed. This is a current phenomenon in this low area downstream where the Saône River and the Doubs River meet. The increase in water levels caused by torrential precipitation on water-soaked soil and saturated water tables that have flooded several regions in the East and the center of France for a few years can however not just be attributed to the climate’s whims. Constructions in areas that can be flooded, obstacles to the flow of water like transport infrastructures, paved and impervious urban surfaces; bad watercourse maintenance and deforestation are intensifying factors and man’s responsibility. In a context of global warming, one must adapt to phenomena that cannot be avoided: laws and decrees force local authorities and private owners to maintain their structures, under penalty of losing some of their compensation; information on flood risk zones is systematic; for some interventions (maintenance, evacuation), local communities can replace individuals.
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