All this comes after Europe had its driest summer in over 500 years. And now scientists call the water situation in the continent “very uncertain”. It comes out in one rapport written by researchers at the University of Graz in Austria.
– I never imagined that water would be a problem here in Europe, especially in Germany or Austria. We are actually having problems with the water supply here. We have to think about this, says Torsten Mayer-Gürr, one of the researchers behind the study.
They have used satellite images to measure the water level in several sources of drinking water in Europe and have concluded that Europe has indeed been in a drought since 2018.
Sound the alarm: – Hard to survive
– Serious
In Italy, the water crisis in the reservoirs is well exemplified by the images of the small island of San Biagio in Lake Garda. Before you had to swim out, now you can easily get out on foot after the water level has dropped by as much as 70 cm in the lake, writes The Guardian.
– The drought problem is serious, says Italy’s Environment and Energy Minister, Gilberto Pichetto, to Corriere della Sera, according to The Local.
– We have only had half the average amount of snow. We now have waterways, lakes and reservoirs in a very critical state, and hydropower plants in extreme difficulties, Pichotto continues.
ON FOOT: Previously you had to swim out to the small island in Lake Garda, now you can walk. Photo: Shutterstock/NTB
sea view
– Critical
In France, the lake Lac de Montbel is a good example. There, the water level is over 80 per cent empty and photos from the site show a dried-up lake with boats stranded on land.
Minister of Ecology in France, Christophe Béchu, warns that the country must be prepared to manage with 40 percent less water in the coming years.
– The situation is more critical than at this time last year, admits Béchu and says that the country is in a state of emergency.
In several places in the country, the authorities have also introduced a number of new restrictions on the use of water. In four southern districts, among other things, residents have been asked to avoid filling swimming pools, washing cars and farmers have been asked to cut water use in half, writes The Guardian.
DRY: Lake Montbel in south-west France Photo: AFP/NTB
sea view
New laws
In Catalonia in Spain, the water crisis has become so serious that the authorities have introduced new laws to reduce water consumption. They include, among other things, cuts in the use of water for agriculture and industrial use, but also cutting the daily water use among residents by 20 liters per person.
– We have noticed that the drought in southern Spain lasts longer, and that when the rain comes, it is shorter but more intense. It is a poor distribution because when the rain is heavy, it becomes less useful for filling reservoirs and irrigating the fields. They need milder rain, says spokesperson for the Meteorological Institute in Spain, Ruben del Campo to The Guardian.
He goes on to say that the situation in Spain shows no signs of improving anytime soon.
