Scientists call for better protection of Swiss groundwater

Lake Brenets, July 28, 2026. Since spring, Switzerland and much of Europe have been gripped by an exceptional drought. Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott

The Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) has called for targeted measures to protect Switzerland’s groundwater reserves, strengthen infrastructure resilience and improve water management.

“Basically, groundwater is not doing so badly in Switzerland,” Christian Möck told Swiss public radio SRF on Thursday.

But as the summer of 2026 has demonstrated, increasingly frequent and extreme droughts are jeopardising the availability and quality of groundwater.

“Of course, this has extreme effects either locally or regionally, says Möck, head of the Swiss groundwater network at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). He is also a member of an expert group at the Academy of Sciences, which aims to raise awareness about groundwater.

Groundwater has an impact on all areas of life and economy. Around 80% of drinking water comes from groundwater. It is also essential for agriculture, industry, and many ecosystems. It can act as a buffer during droughts: depending on its type and the season, groundwater contributes 30 to 80% to the total run-off of Swiss rivers and streams.

Swiss scientists at SCNAT are calling for a comprehensive strategy that allows groundwater to be renewed and maintained at good quality. In the future, dry periods or heavy precipitation are likely to become more frequent due to climate change.

Federal government works on water strategy

The government is currently working on a comprehensive water management strategy. “It is intended to help identify conflicts of use at an early stage, improve the data basis and manage the available water resources sustainably in the long term,” Katrin Schneeberger, director of the Federal Office for the Environment, said at the end of August.

She said Switzerland must preserve its waterways and wetlands, monitor water quality and explore how to store or retain water.

“On the one hand, it’s very much about raising awareness, but of course we also point out places where we feel there is still a need for action, where there may be gaps,” says Möck.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.