Drinking water not at risk yet but Swiss agriculture under strain

Drinking water: no problems for the time being, but agriculture is suffering Keystone-SDA

The current drought is forcing many local authorities to restrict water consumption. No problems are expected with regard to drinking water, despite the heatwave forecast for next week. The situation is more difficult when it comes to water for agricultural use.

Switzerland continues to have abundant water resources, according to the enivroment ministry. However, periods of drought could lead, at a regional level and for a limited period, to water shortages and conflicts over water use.

According to the ministry, it is not possible to determine at national level whether and when specific problems with the drinking water supply will arise. The reason for this is that water management falls within the remit of the cantons; water supply is organised at municipal or cantonal level and depends heavily on local resources, infrastructure and the interconnection of supply systems.

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The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich’s Water Research Institute (Eawag) shares this view. It states that reserves in aquifers and lakes are abundant. Any shortfalls could be mitigated through greater technical and organisational integration amongst water supply operators. Consumption of pure drinking water is minimal compared with that required by agriculture. The situation therefore does not yet represent an acute problem for the population.

As early as 2009, in a report on the future of water supply, Eawag had also noted: “At present, there are virtually no conflicts of use between agriculture and water supply systems. However, should there be a sharp increase in water demand for irrigation, the situation could change.” This is because, for example, water abstraction from rivers and streams with already reduced flow rates could compromise – in terms of both quantity and quality – the recharge of aquifers through infiltration along these watercourses.

Agriculture is suffering

At present, agriculture is suffering as a result of the drought. The Solothurn Farmers’ Union complains that grass is not growing. It warns that harvests will be poorer and will have to be brought in earlier than expected.

The situation is very critical when it comes to fodder. Almost nothing is growing. Many farms have already drawn on their reserves, and imports are proving difficult, according to the magazine Schweizer Bauer.

And Agroscope, the federal centre of excellence for agricultural research in Switzerland, warns that if the drought were to continue into late August, the situation would become even more critical than in 2003 or 2018.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.