Salzburg opposition demands drought plan for drinking water

Opposition parties in Salzburg’s state parliament are calling on the provincial government to set out how it would resolve conflicts over drinking water during prolonged droughts. The government says supplies remained secure through this summer’s heat, ORF reported.

The Greens said drought and water shortages had severely affected people in Salzburg this summer. Their parliamentary group leader, Martina Berthold, criticised Governor Wilfried Haslauer for promoting a summer party at Lake Fuschl on social media while emergency services were under sustained pressure.

State Councillor Maximilian Aigner of the Austrian People’s Party said there had been water problems on alpine pastures and in agriculture, but no drinking-water crisis. Supplies were never at risk during the summer, he said. Of the 617 million cubic metres of drinking water available last year, less than 20 per cent was used.

The Freedom Party said the Greens were exaggerating the situation. The Social Democrats called for stronger climate action, while the Communist Party said the state’s drinking-water strategy lacked specific measures for drought, falling groundwater levels and conflicts over water use during extended dry periods.

The Greens said the state needed to prepare for increasingly frequent droughts. The Communist Party’s Christian Eichinger said the strategy did not explain how the government would respond to future shortages or decide between competing uses of water.