Swiss Army Airlifts Water to Alpine Farms Parched by Drought

(Bloomberg) — Switzerland called in the military to deliver water to cattle farms in the Alps after several weeks of intense heat have dried out the country’s mountaintop meadows.

A Super Puma helicopter operated by the Swiss Air Force flew 14,000 liters (3,700 gallons) of water to two farms in the mountains above the Swiss capital Bern on Friday. The estates close to the town of Diemtigen were “severely affected by the ongoing drought,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

Europe is experiencing its worst drought in decades, with consequences rippling across energy, transport and food supply chains. Record-low river levels have forced nuclear plant shutdowns, disrupted shipping on the Rhine and Danube, and wildfires are raging in France and Spain.

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