Lack of rain and drought. The region of Valais, Switzerland, is already drawing on its water reserves.
The lack of rainfall over the past two months is already having an impact on groundwater levels – for example in Valais valley.
Many rivers and lakes in Switzerland are at low to very low levels – and the situation could get worse. In February and March, only half the usual amount of precipitation was recorded in several regions, and as little as 25 percent in Valais.
Some groundwater levels in the canton are rather low, but still average. However, the situation needs to be monitored, Christine Genolet-Leubin, head of the Valais Environment Department, told French-language Swiss radio and television (RTS). With little rainfall for the past two months, groundwater levels are now being maintained by melting snow.
“We have 60 to 80 percent less precipitation. Temperatures are about two degrees above the average of the last 30 years, solar radiation is relatively strong and the snow cover is quite thin”, explains Christine Genolet-Leubin. “So we have to rely on the snow cover melting.”
Rain expected in mid-April
Although groundwater levels remain within the norm, “they are slowly falling because we have no inflow, especially from precipitation”, adds the head of the Valais Environmental Service. The water resources for the coming months are therefore already being used up.
Nature is running short of water in some places, and some agricultural sectors need to be irrigated. If there is no rain soon, restrictions could even be considered. At the same time, the existing risk of forest fires in the canton is likely to increase.
According to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the situation at national level is not yet critical. “If everything goes according to plan, water levels will rise more slowly than usual. But if there is a lot of rain, the situation could change quickly”, says Philippe Gyarmati, a hydrologist at the FOEN.
But the rain is still a long way off. According to SRF Meteo, the first significant precipitation is not expected until the weekend at the earliest.
