Between droughts and rising temperatures, what EU countries are doing to safeguard water resources

Outlining the picture for Italy was Ispra with data for 2024, the year considered to be very rainy. Despite this, however, Italy remains divided into two parts with the North in better conditions and the South (especially the islands) with more delicate situations.

The volume of precipitation estimated by Ispra is approximately 319 billion cubic metres (corresponding to 1,056 mm). This value is more than 10% higher than the annual average for the last 30-year climatological period 1991-2020.

A reading of the data reveals a picture with the country divided into two parts. In the North, rainfall amounts above historical averages, which in some cases caused flooding events, such as those in Lombardy in May and in Emilia-Romagna in September and October. In this picture, Piedmont, Veneto and Liguria saw an annual rainfall surplus of more than 40 per cent in 2024, compared to the long-term average.

In the South and the larger islands, the water reduction was -49% in the hydrographic district of Sicily, -55% in the district of Sardinia, and -39% in the district of the Southern Apennines.Sicily, which in May obtained the declaration of a state of emergency, was the territory most affected by the rainfall deficit (-25%) where, in 2024, little more than 500 mm of rain fell, corresponding to about 13 billion cubic metres, compared to an annual average over the long period 1951-2024 of about 665 mm, corresponding to 17.2 billion cubic metres of total rainfall. Other regions that have to deal with the lack of rainfall include Apulia, with an annual rainfall deficit of -23% compared to the long-term average, Molise and Basilicata with a deficit of -20%.

Then there is the groundwater aspect. "At a European level, 77% of water bodies are in a good chemical status, while 91% of groundwater is in a good quantitative status," reads the Ispra report. "More or less similar is the situation in Italy, where the percentages of groundwater bodies in a good chemical and quantitative status are slightly lower, 70% for the chemical and 79% for the quantitative. And that's not all: 'In Europe, water is generally still affected by contaminants, mainly air pollution linked to coal-fired energy production and diffuse pollution from agriculture,' the Ispra researchers continue. 'The situation is similar in Italy, where the prevalent diffuse sources are linked to agricultural use and where pollution linked to urban discharges is also relevant.

The Institute for Environmental Research and Protection emphasises that eyes remain on "not only the full implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive, but also on increasing the resilience of water systems, also in response to changing climatic conditions, as dictated by the EU Water Resilience Strategy; it is essential in any case to promote, at every level, a sustainable and responsible use of water resources".

Parts of Austria could face water shortages in the future due to climate change. In an analysis from July 2024, Greenpeace identified 471 municipalities across Austria 'at high risk of acute water scarcity in 2050'. According to the analysis, the affected municipalities are located in regions where, in drought years, there is less groundwater available than needed for public water supply, industry and agriculture, which could lead to conflicts of use.

The water emergency is also growing in a neighbouring country to the north: in Austria, where 60% of the population is concerned about future water shortages. More than 90% are also in favour of specific protection measures and 87% want industrial companies to pay for their water consumption. These attitudes were collected in a representative survey of over 2,000 respondents, conducted by the market and opinion research institute Integral on behalf of Greenpeace and published in August 2024

Sixty-three per cent of the participants stated that they had noticed regional water shortages in Austria in the last two years - particularly the over-70 age group answered yes to this question, while younger people under 19 were less aware of the problem. Six out of ten respondents also expressed the fear that water shortages might occur more frequently in the future.

According to Greenpeace, about 70% of the total water consumption in Austria is attributable to industry, which generally pays nothing for the water it uses. Respondents found a certain lack of understanding: 87% believe that industrial companies should be obliged to pay for their water consumption. Furthermore, 91% of Austrians would like the next federal government to draw up precise plans for water protection.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management published a drinking water protection plan in July 2023. Five points:

1. the Ministry will work with the federal states to improve the data base and forecasts for forward-looking planning (precautionary) and for the preparation of measures in the event of water shortages

2. the Ministry will make a total of EUR 3 million available over the next three years for research on efficient water use and securing water supply.

3. the Ministry will work with water suppliers and federal states to further intensify information campaigns on the conscious use of drinking water.

4. Within the framework of the current financial equalisation negotiations, the Ministry will support an increase in the annual financing budget, so that in addition to the expansion and renovation of the existing infrastructure, the necessary measures for adapting the drinking water supply to climate change can be implemented quickly.

5. the Ministry will discuss the existing plans at regular intervals together with the federal states and water suppliers and evaluate them with regard to nationally relevant points.

*This article is part of the Pulse project and was contributed by Kim Son Hoang (Der Standard, Austria).