Warning about mountain water: Nine hikers flown to hospital by helicopter in the Pyrenees

Causes of contamination

Animal feces and human waste entering the water are considered the cause of the contamination. Even if the water appears clear and fresh, it can cause serious health problems, emphasized the prefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées. The French Hiking Federation also pointed to possible microbiological contamination.

The rescue services see a growing problem. Such emergencies are by no means an exception, said the head of the local mountain rescue, Sébastien Abbadie, to the broadcaster Ici. "We have operations every day." The mountain rescuers are observing an increase in incidents because more and more hikers are apparently doing without drinking water they carry with them.

Filter bottles are not enough

Filter bottles play a special role in this. The increasingly popular filter bottles are apparently now being used by many tourists as the main solution for water supply during a hike and no water reserves are being carried. The prefecture, however, warns: Using filter bottles to drink water from mountain streams or rivers is not enough to purify water taken from nature.

The French Hiking Federation shared this assessment. Filter bottles should only be used in an emergency, it said. Both institutions instead recommend relying on safe water. Instead, hikers should fall back on safe water sources such as tap water or bottled water.

Recommendations for hikers

For the planning of tours, the prefecture gives concrete specifications. Tourists should have half a liter of drinking water available for each hour of a hike. To refill their bottles, they could use the water supply in mountain huts.

Abbadie formulated his warning directly. "One should not drink this water to avoid such operations." With a view to the ongoing summer season in the Pyrenees, he called on hikers to adhere to the recommendations of the authorities. The French mountain rescue has intensified the dissemination of its guidance in recent days.

The prefecture announced that the warnings would be disseminated further via tourism offices, mountain huts and hiking information centers. The mountain rescuers themselves also inform hikers on the routes directly about the risks. The article was distributed via the German press agency dpa.