- The residents of the municipality of Mendrisio (TI) should save water.
- At the request of the authorities, they may only use drinking water for household purposes.
- It is forbidden to water the garden, wash the car and fill the swimming pool.
In the Mendrisiotto, in the very south of Ticino, water is getting scarce. The municipality of Mendrisio now forbids its 15,000 residents to use drinking water for non-essential purposes.
It is forbidden to water the garden, wash the car and fill the swimming pool. Samuele Cavadini, the mayor of Mendrisio, told Swiss Italian Television (RSI) that checks were being carried out. Fines of up to CHF 10,000 could be imposed for unnecessary water consumption. The water shortage affects the entire Mendrisiotto, and drinking water could also be rationed in some places.
According to the mayor, the flow rate would no longer be sufficient to feed certain sources.
On its website, the municipality explains why it still waters the public green spaces and sports fields itself: The water comes from groundwater reservoirs, and these are not connected to the drinking water network. The request was sent to the population at the beginning of the month. At the beginning of July, reservoirs were only about a third full and the groundwater level in Ticino was at a record low level.
The flow rate is no longer sufficient to feed certain sources.
According to federal hydrologists, Switzerland has sufficient water reserves. The Federal Office for the Environment only expected bottlenecks in the case of small local groundwater deposits and springs. The communities then call for water saving. In the future, however, there will be enough water.