Drought in Upper Austria: First municipalities activate emergency supply

Shortage in the district of Kirchdorf

Several districts in Upper Austria are affected by the drought, according to reports, including the Innviertel, the district of Perg, the district of Rohrbach, and Wels-Land. In some municipalities, tanker trucks have been deployed to maintain supply on a temporary basis.

The combination of weeks of low precipitation and rising consumption – from agriculture, tourism, and private households – is pushing local water infrastructure to its limits. Smaller springs in particular, which can be used without elaborate treatment, fail first.

Other affected districts

Stefan Kaineder of the Greens, who has long been involved with the issue of water supply, had repeatedly pointed out the vulnerability of Upper Austria's water supply. He sees the current situation as a wake-up call to accelerate investment in pipeline networks and storage facilities.

The authorities are calling on the population to use water sparingly. Among other things, they recommend reducing garden watering to the bare minimum, not constantly refilling swimming pools, and having defective pipes repaired promptly.

Appeal to save water

In the medium term, those responsible plan to expand the emergency interconnection between municipalities so that shortages in one region can be offset by reserves in another. The mapping of additional emergency springs is also currently being pushed forward.

Outlook for the coming weeks

Even in previous summers, drought-related supply problems had occurred in parts of Upper Austria. Experts expect that such phases will occur more frequently with climate change and see an urgent need for precautionary infrastructure.

For the coming weeks, the emergency services are hoping for substantial rainfall to raise the levels again. Until then, emergency supply and water conservation remain the central measures to ensure the population's supply.