Water levels fall to record lows in Switzerland amid drought

Rivers and streams across Switzerland have fallen to exceptionally low levels as an drought grips the country, according to media reports on Thursday.

The ongoing drought has caused water levels across Switzerland to fall to record lows, with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) registering historic lows at 11 monitoring stations, news outlet Swiss Info reported, citing the Keystone-SDA news agency.

The FOEN said that between April 1 and July 31, around a fifth of monitoring stations saw their lowest water levels on record for this time of year.

Water levels in many watercourses north of the Alps are so low that such levels occur only once every two to 10 years, and in some cases only once every 30 to 100 years or even less frequently, according to the FOEN.

Along with rivers and streams, lakes are also being affected by the heat wave and drought, with water levels exceptionally low, in Lake Constance, Lake Walen, Lake Zurich, Lake Zug and Lake Maggiore.

Switzerland still has "abundant water resources," the FOEN said, but warned that climate change will alter their availability.