Swiss lakes and rivers drop to record lows due to continuing drought

People on peer at low water level lake — As if the tide was out. But this picture is from Lake Constance which is partly in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. © Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller

The continuing hot and dry summer weather has caused low water levels in several lakes and rivers in Switzerland.

swissinfo.ch/ug

Lakes in eastern, central and southern parts of the country have recorded lows, something which occurs rarely, the Federal Office for the Environment told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Monday.

In the case of the Rhine and the Reuss rivers, the authorities registered all-time summer lows, and the water tables across Switzerland – known as the Europe’s water reservoir – have fallen far below average.

Experts have warned that some fish populations are at risk as a result of high water temperatures in rivers and streams.

The ice of alpine glaciers has been melting fast in the hot weather, releasing old plane wreckages or exposing an old Alpine pass covered by ice for the past 2,000 years in the west of the country.

The drought conditions are expected to continue in the next few days despite some rain forecast later this week.