As was the case this summer, water will become increasingly scarce locally in the future. According to a federal report, the use of drinking water is at risk, especially in the Central Plateau. The report also warns against reducing the amount of residual water to increase electricity production, as politicians are currently demanding.
The Thur river bed near Pfyn has dried up (picture taken on July 20, 2022).
Low water levels, dried-up riverbeds, dry fields, thirsty cows, dying fish: extreme heat and little rain take a toll on nature. Between May and mid-August there was less rain in Switzerland than at any time in the last 140 years. In western Switzerland, the rainfall of almost two normal summer months was missing in some areas. Switzerland is drying up because, in addition to the sparse rainfall due to the high temperatures, more water is evaporating.