Switzerland negotiates water deals as drought strains ties with Italy, France
Tuesday 11th August 2026 on 06:00 in
Switzerland
Switzerland is negotiating water agreements with Italy and France as prolonged drought reduces supplies for agriculture and increases disputes over cross-border water flows, SRF reported.
Lake Maggiore is only a few centimetres above its historic low. Because of the continuing drought, the canton of Ticino has been releasing less water towards Italy for weeks, prompting desperation in the Piedmont region.
Water from Lake Maggiore is used to irrigate farmland in Italy’s Po Valley. Piedmont is therefore calling on Ticino to release more water from its reservoirs. However, the canton says it cannot and does not want to help because it is also facing severe dryness. The reservoirs are currently only weakly filled and are privately owned, according to the Ticino government.
The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment said it was working with Ticino and Italian authorities on the technical basis for an agreement. The aim is to prevent future disputes during water shortages and extreme flooding.
Similar negotiations are under way for the Doubs, a river on the Swiss-French border. Such agreements take time. Switzerland and France have had two agreements since September 2025, covering Lake Geneva and the Rhone. The two countries worked on them for more than 10 years. According to NZZ am Sonntag, French President Emmanuel Macron and his predecessor François Holland also became involved in the negotiations.
Water researcher Klaus Lanz, founder and director of the Institute for International Water Affairs, said Switzerland should put more pressure on its neighbours to reduce water losses. He criticised the use of large amounts of water in Italy that seep away before reaching fields or are lost through inefficient irrigation systems.
The Federal Office for the Environment said it would raise this issue while preparing the agreement. New agreements for Lake Maggiore and the Doubs could still take years. Rain would provide faster relief, but it has yet to arrive.