Switzerland faces rising wildfire risk and authorities are restricting water use as drought grips parts of the country, reported the Natural Hazards Portal.
Several regions in Switzerland have raised their forest fire alert to “considerable” danger and “high” danger, the third and fourth levels on a five-point scale, amid increasingly dry conditions and falling water levels. The cantons of Thurgau, Schaffhausen, Basel, Bern, Geneva, Ticino and parts of Valais and Jura are now affected, according to the federal natural hazards portal. Certain regions of Valais are classified as “high” danger – see map below.
Authorities are urging extreme caution with open flames in and around forests. Fires should only be lit in designated, fixed fire pits, and unnecessary ignition sources avoided entirely.
In Thurgau, the drought has prompted further action. Beginning Friday, water extraction from streams will be banned, as levels in rivers, lakes and tributaries have dropped significantly due to a lack of rainfall. The canton described the water situation in a statement as “very low.”
Exceptions have been made for larger bodies of water, including Lake Constance, the Rhine, and the lakes of Hüttwil and Nussbaum. Groundwater and spring water extractions remain permitted. The restrictions will affect roughly 13% of the water typically allocated for agricultural use during dry periods, the canton said. This map by Meteo Suisse shows areas experiencing drought conditions.
With conditions unlikely to improve in the short term, more cantons may soon follow suit.
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