In the middle of the holiday season, tourists are now receiving a serious warning from the authorities: In view of the low water levels, a thoughtless (head) jump into the cool water sometimes involves a serious risk of injury. The popular Lake Garda in Italy is currently particularly affected. But you should also be careful on local waters.
“Don’t jump into Lake Garda,” is the urgent warning from Pierlucido Ceresa, President of the Association of Municipalities on Lake Garda, to the German newspaper Bild. The water level is currently so low that you could easily hit your head. The reason for this is the prolonged extreme drought. As reported, a state of emergency has therefore already been declared in several regions.Lake Neusiedl particularly shallowIn this country too, the heat and the associated water shortage and evaporation are affecting the levels in the bathing lakes. For example Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland. This is currently as shallow as it has not been for a long time. The water level is currently 115 meters above the Adriatic Sea – and thus only four centimeters above the historic low of 2003. The highly sensitive ecosystem is now to be secured in the long term. As a first measure, workers in the Rust Bay remove excess mud. Caution also required in Austria Given the low water level, extreme caution is also required when bathing there. It was not until mid-May that a fatal accident occurred in the steppe lake in Burgenland: a Viennese student (17) had made a head in the water, which was just 90 centimeters deep. The teenager was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. In general, you should therefore exercise caution when jumping into cool water. Even on familiar waters, it’s a good idea to consider a possibly shallower water depth before jumping in.
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