 Canal
du Midi drained for six weeks for repairs |
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| Canal
du Midi drained for six weeks for repairs 11th
November 2004 |
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From the 12
November the Canal du Midi between Bezier and Toulouse is to be
closed and drained for essential repairs. The Canal du Midi low
season starts on the 3rd November and continues to Easter every
year. According to Jacques Noisette, of the Languedoc office of
the Voies navigables de France (VNF), the closure should
last six weeks and the Canal du Midi will be re-d on the 20th
December. The process is apparently relatively simple, the source
of the water for the Canal du Midi is a series of pipelines from
the Montagnes Noir, these are switched of and the existing water
in the Canal du Midi drains off into the Mediterranean and Atlantic
at either end. The six weeks allows the VNF to do all the estential
repairs necessary to the locks and banks of teh Canal du midi as
well as installing a series of electronic sensors to momitor the
depth and stage of the Canal du Midi throughout the year. for the
boat hire companies this annual draing also allows them to repair
and maintain the hulls of their barges. The fish who live in the
Canal du Midi will be rounded up with nets or electrically stunned
and transfered to the handful of ports that will remain flooded
during the period, according to Pierre Espeluque, President of the
Federation des societies de peche de l'Aude, the whole
process will be done by volunteer fishermen.
The port of Carcassonne,
will remainall year for the first time this year. Sylvie Chmielowiec,
the harbour master, says that the port is undergoing an economic
revival which started two years ago. Despite falling levels of tourism
experienced accross the Languedoc in the last two yeqars, and partcularly
along the Aude coast, the port of Carcassonne has seen the number
of tourists rise- both in absolute terms and in qualititive terms-
that is they spend more money in the Aude. As well as increased
number of tourists the Carcassonne port of the Canal du Midi has
also benefited from the shortage of berths for boats in the sea
ports of the Aude with more and more sea going craft owners choosing
to winter their vessels in Carcassonne port- either because they
can't find or afford a place on the coast or because he fresh water
is alot less corrosive that salt water.
Canal
du Midi drained for six weeks for repairs 11th
November 2004
Peter Shield
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