- Due to the drought and extreme heat, the federal government, several cantons and municipalities are taking measures.
- For example, the federal government is raising the heat warning from level three to four for the canton of Ticino.
- Meanwhile, the municipality of Glarus Süd is struggling with a lack of drinking water and is therefore calling on the population to be economical.
The federal natural hazards service issued the heat warnings for the regions around Bellinzona, Lugano and Mendrisio on Tuesday morning Ticino elevated.
Legend:
Current danger of heat in Switzerland.
Alertswiss.ch
Below 800 meters above sea level, there is a high risk of heat and there is a risk of circulatory problems and physical discomfort.
Cantons ban water withdrawals
Because of the persistent drought, several cantons have introduced a water withdrawal ban. So has about Thurgau decided to ban water abstraction from surface waters from Friday.
In Freiburg it has been taboo since June 23 to divert water from rivers. Now the canton has tightened the ban: In the Broye catchment area, absolutely no water may be taken from streams and rivers. The authorities no longer issue special permits.
Also the canton Basel country no longer allows water withdrawals from smaller bodies of water.
Legend:
A trout in the Blausee near Kandergrund.
key stone
The Swiss Fishing Association is sounding the alarm: fish that need cold, such as trout and grayling, are currently suffering greatly. Because the oxygen content drops with warmer water temperatures and fish threaten to suffocate, the association expects a “tragedy”, as it says.
From 20 degrees, trout and grayling are under stress. According to the announcement, a critical limit is reached from 22 to 23 degrees and the lack of oxygen increases. The association described water temperatures of 25 degrees as a death sentence for fish species that need cold.
Association calls on the public to help
The fisheries association asks the population not to take water from bodies of water, to interrupt construction work on and in bodies of water, to allow dogs to bathe in other places, not to build dams in streams and to report dry streams and dead fish to the authorities. In addition, the retreats of fish should be respected.
Jurassic community bans car washes
Several communes in the canton law have taken measures in view of the lack of rainfall: In Courtételle it is now forbidden to water the lawn, wash the car and fill the pool. The municipality justifies this step with the decrease in the amount of water in the springs.
The authorities of Courroux are also calling for water to be used sparingly. Other communities such as Courfaivre, Bassecourt and Glovelier turned off the wells to detect leaks in the water mains.
The commune of Aigle in the Vaud also worried about their sources. She appealed to the population to limit the watering of gardens, lawns and vineyards to the night. Avoid using water that is not absolutely necessary. The fountains are partially switched off.
Also the municipalities of Meisterschwanden, Lenzburg and Sarmenstorf in the canton Aargau call for water conservation.
Furthermore, the drinking water is also available in the municipality Glarus South scarce – but the drought is only one reason for this: some springs are blocked due to construction projects. The towns of Luchsingen and Linthal are affected by this; they are currently supplied with water from Hätzingen, Diesbach and Rüti.
Some general fire bans imposed
The Canton Freiburg has imposed a fire ban in forested areas. According to the Federal Office for the Environment, the same applies in the cantons Bern, Urithe two Basel, Neuchâtel and Vaud. In the cantons Ticino, Grisons and Valais No fires may be made outdoors at all.
Fireworks are also prohibited in Valais. It is particularly dry here: In the Simplon Nord, Sitten-Siders, Südrampe and Vispertal regions, the federal government has therefore declared the highest danger level for forest fires. This means that forest fires can hardly be extinguished when fighting them.
There is a significant risk of forest fires in Central Switzerland. Fires are in the Canton Lucerne, train, Uri, Schwyz such as Obwalden and Nidwalden only allowed in fixed fireplaces.