According to The Local’s Swedish edition, Swedish authorities have notified that the country could repeat last year’s water shortages if the dry season continues. Certain areas of Sweden have already established a hosepipe ban.
Currently, ground water levels are below normal ensuing a long dry and hot summer and not enough snow this winter. The water scarcity is affecting both larger repositories, which supply water to the municipal water networks, and also smaller depositories used by citizens to get water from their own wells.
Over the last few years, this Scandinavian country has suffered a similar situation; however, this April has been exceptionally bad compared to 2018, has shown the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU).
SGU’s hydrogeologist and groundwater expert, Bo Thunholm, has told The Local that conditions for recovering Sweden’s groundwater levels are not particularly good. It will require a large amount of precipitation now that it is starting to get warm.
Last year, numerous areas of Sweden only allowed citizens to use the water from the municipal network for drinking, and if it does not rain in the near future, the residents will most likely see a repetition of last year’s situation.
This year, the areas most affected by low groundwater levels are the Götaland and Svealand regions, especially coastal areas such as the Stockholm archipelago and the Baltic Sea island of Gotland.
Towns that often suffer from water shortages in summer have already issued hosepipe bans since the beginning of April, such as Gotland and Sala in central Sweden in parts of the municipality.
This restriction means Swedes may not water their lawns with a hose, nor wash their cars at home or fill their swimming pools with water from the municipal water network.
