Drought in Switzerland: Europe’s ‘water tower’ runs dry

Rivers reduced to trickles, scorched landscapes and forests taking on autumn colours weeks ahead of schedule: such scenes highlight the severity of a drought unmatched in Switzerland for decades. Since spring, Switzerland and much of Europe have been gripped by an exceptional drought. Between April 1 and July 31, around one-fifth of Switzerland’s monitoring stations recorded their lowest water levels for this period since measurements began, according to the Federal Office for the Environment...

By Luigi Jorio (text), Vera Leysinger (photos)