More and more bodies of water are becoming drier and drier – including Lake Neusiedl in Austria. The mayor of the neighboring municipality starts a tractor protest against climate change.
Jois – Climate change spares hardly any body of water, and not only in southern Europe. Because of the heat waves last summer, many groundwater levels are at a record low. The consequences are also being felt in Burgenland in Austria: Lake Neusiedl continues to dry up. Now the conservative mayor Johann Steuerer of the adjacent Jois is also concerned, reported focus.de.
Lake Neusiedl in Austria is getting drier: Mayor organises tractor protest
In order to draw attention to the precarious situation of the lake and to demand "rapid measures" from the state and federal government, Steurer organized a toast on Tuesday (9 May). The politician of the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) called for demonstrations and roadblocks. 200 residents and 40 tractors blocked the B50, the most important federal highway – for four hours.
Mayors and residents demonstrate for the rescue of Lake Neusiedl. © picture alliance/dpa/APA | Judith Högerl
"We want to shake things up," says Steurer. The drying up of Lake Neusiedl is an "imminent environmental catastrophe". Drying up lakes also cause fish to die. The lake has dried up several times in recent centuries, most recently in 1865, according to the Austrian broadcaster ORF. According to Steuerer, another time could be prevented if the government's action measures were accelerated.
Climate change: Lake Neusiedl in Austria threatens to dry out again
The region around Lake Neusiedl suffers from a lack of rainfall. ORF reported that the level in 2022 was below the past record low. It was ten centimetres lower than in 1991. In the meantime, the level has recovered somewhat. This was ensured by the rainy spring. However, it is not a real recovery – the lake is too shallow and it consists of 80 percent rainwater. Climate change is to blame, because long periods of heat with little rainfall and dehydration go hand in hand.
The consequences of dehydration are loss of income from tourism, higher dust pollution due to drying sludge, loss of harvest and also increasing weather extremes. However, according to focus.de, experts warn against scaremongering. Comparisons with the drying up of Lake Neusiedl at that time are exaggerated, according to geologist Erich Dragnatis of the University of Vienna. The events are incomparable because of human intervention and agriculture.
Lake Neusiedl in Austria: Measures against dehydration under discussion
Nevertheless, solutions would be sought to counteract a further drop in the water level. The restoration of old tributaries to the lake and the restriction of use for agriculture are being discussed. A mud vacuum cleaner could also be used to enable ships to sail through the shallow water. As usual, such decisions involve a lot of bureaucracy. Speed is the order of the day, because otherwise Lake Neusiedl could suffer the same fate as the evaporated Zicksee. That is why controllers and the inhabitants of the municipality of Jois are calling for prompt measures to save Lake Neusiedl with the tractor protest. (hk)
