If you arrived in Switzerland thinking that water would never be an issue here, this summer is proving you wrong. For weeks now, several municipalities in French-speaking Switzerland have banned watering gardens, washing cars and filling private swimming pools. Morges (Vaud) is one of the best-known examples, but it is not the only one. In some municipalities, the water authority has imposed restrictions until further notice. And this is not a recommendation: it is a ban, with fines for non-compliance.
The underlying problem is serious. Since spring 2026, the Swiss Plateau has seen months of rainfall well below average. Between 1 April and the end of June, around 185 millimetres of rain fell across the country as a whole – approximately half the normal amount for that period. Rivers are at historically low levels, the ground is dry and groundwater levels have fallen significantly. In June, the Swiss Confederation activated the highest alert level of the national drought monitoring system, which has been in place since 2025. Lake Constance, Lake Walenstadt and others were well below their usual levels for the time of year.
What strikes many Spaniards living here is the apparent contradiction: we are in a country with 1,500 lakes, glaciers in the Alps and fountains in every village square. And in August 2026, there are local authorities that can fine you for watering your garden. But in Switzerland, this is how things work: water is managed at cantonal and municipal level, and when a local council imposes a restriction, it is enforced. What changes with the drought is that this management system, which normally goes unnoticed, suddenly becomes visible to everyone.