The new Pont-Saint-Esprit gendarmerie in Gard was built in a flood zone in the event of heavy rain. The town recently changed mayor and the new municipal team has just discovered this serious anomaly. The new mayor Valère Segal alerted the Gard prefecture and the Nîmes public prosecutor's office
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A brand new gendarmerie was inaugurated last year in Pont-Saint-Esprit, north of Nîmes in Gard. The only problem, and not the least, is that it is located in a flood zone. During his 45 years in office, Bernard Duffaud, former fire chief of Pont-Saint-Esprit, saw the neighborhood being submerged under water more than ten times.
“The gendarmerie could be flooded given what we have experienced in recent years with a water height of approximately up to one meter. Here we have carried out rescues and rescues on several occasions, and we have a machine which was lifted by the force of the water and also moved by the current.he tells France 3 Occitanie.
The new Pont-Saint-Esprit gendarmerie built in a very flood-prone area.
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© R. Perich/FTV
A very problematic situation: firstly, because the police must be able to intervene in the event of flooding in the town, which will be difficult if they themselves are underwater. Then problematic because the danger also concerns neighboring accommodation. The new building prevents water from flowing into the ground.
Andrée Roselli, resident of Pont-Saint-Esprit, has already lost part of her garden after heavy rains. “It all came from there, with the pressure of the water, it was astonishing to hear the sound of water like that. I was afraid to leave with the house, it's terrible…”, she whispers. When she learned of the construction of this new building, she was immediately worried:“I was afraid that the floods would start again. I think, deep down as a grandma, that the gendarmerie should not have been there,” adds Spiritpontaine.
Mayor Valère Segal triggered article 40 with the Nîmes prosecutor. A procedure which allows failures and other problems relating to administrations to be reported.
It's a strategic building and the police are supposed to intervene when there is a problem, particularly flooding, and there they will find themselves blocked.
Valère SegalMayor of Pont-Saint-Esprit
The water can rise very high and their response office with all means of communication would be underwater. The second problem is that this building obstructs the flow of water and causes an increase in the water level on neighboring houses. It also has a third problem which is located downstream on city center homes, which must also be made safe by basins”, specifies the newly elected councilor.
The new municipal team, elected last April, inherits the file from the previous municipality. The gendarmerie cost 6 million euros. The town hall advanced the funds and is reimbursed every month through rent. “On the other hand, the capping basins which were to be built in 2022 -2023 were estimated at between 8 and 10 million euros, currently we are at more, and this has a strong impact on the municipality's accounts so it forces us to take it into account and revise certain programs which had already been planned”, specifies the mayor.
A complete water study which will define the exact surfaces of the basins created must now be carried out. Basins which will require the expropriation of certain land. Cost of the operation: 10 million euros or more. A significant sum for the town of 10,500 inhabitants.
Written with Auriane Duffaud
