Response to interpellation 2025/26:499 on water shortages and climate adaptation in southern Sweden
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns water shortages and climate adaptation in southern Sweden. L argues that access to public water services is a municipal responsibility where the municipalities are responsible for measures such as irrigation bans 1. L emphasizes that the government is giving authorities mandates to strengthen coordination, is investing in wetlands, and is following the situation closely 1 2. L underlines that the state has the overall responsibility while the municipalities have the operational responsibility 3. S argues that the municipalities cannot handle the consequences of climate change alone and demands that the state provide municipalities and regions with the necessary tools and economic resources 4 5. S emphasizes that water shortage is a national issue that affects food security 6 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)
Mr. Speaker! Eva Lindh has asked me what concrete measures I and the government intend to take to strengthen preparedness against water shortages in Sweden in both the short and long term.
When it comes to short-term measures, access to public water services is primarily a municipal responsibility. This means that it is the municipalities that are responsible for taking the necessary measures needed to secure the public drinking water supply, through for example information campaigns and irrigation bans. To support their work, they have the county administrative boards and the national authorities.
The relevant authorities and Svenskt Vatten have recently provided the Government Offices with a situation report on the water situation ahead of the summer, and informed about the organization that exists and the preparedness they have if the situation worsens. That the authorities inform the Government Offices at an early stage about the situation is a sign that the organization and the preparedness are functioning as they should. The relevant authorities continue to monitor the water situation, and the Government Offices receive ongoing reports.
For better preparedness against water shortages in the longer term, the government has taken several measures, taking into account that the challenges differ in different parts of the country. In order to be able to take the right measures in the right place, regional and local knowledge and commitment is an important basic prerequisite.
The government therefore gave the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management a government mandate in 2024 with the aim of strengthening the coordination of measures between different actors within drainage areas. One example of a physical measure is the restoration of wetlands, where the government is making a long-term and large-scale investment. Wetlands contribute, among other things, to longer retention times for water in the landscape, and it thus counteracts drought and reduces the risk of flooding.
The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management's partial report on the government mandate for action coordination, as well as feedback from the county administrative boards and local actors, shows that the initiative has had several positive effects, including more efficient use of funds, strengthened stakeholder-driven work across sector and county boundaries, and an increased pace of action.
The Government has given the relevant authorities several assignments concerning water shortages and drought, including to the Geological Survey of Sweden regarding the availability of groundwater in a future climate.
The Government is closely following the developments in the area.
Since the interpellator reported that she was prevented from attending the meeting, the Speaker granted that Anna Wallentheim (S) instead was allowed to participate in the interpellation debate.
Anna Wallentheim (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the first answer!
I am taking this debate today instead of my colleague Eva Lindh, but I am also taking it as a person from Scania. Because what is now happening in southern Sweden is no longer some distant future issue. It is reality here and now.
Sweden has long regarded access to water as a given. Just as naturally as we think that light will come when we turn on the lamp, we think that water will come when we open the tap.
In recent years, access to water has been under pressure. We have seen how drought, low groundwater levels, and extreme weather conditions put pressure on our entire society.
It is something that is now affecting us in southern Sweden in Skåne, Blekinge and Småland and also on Öland and Gotland. In Skåne, the situation is extra serious.
The County Administrative Board states that both lakes and groundwater reservoirs are at unusually low levels. SGU has issued a warning regarding the risk of water shortage. The water levels in Vombsjön are the lowest recorded for the season since measurements began in 1969.
In my home municipality of Hässleholm, SMS messages have been sent out to all the municipality's residents during the spring and early summer. The latest one was from June 3 with the words: We are approaching critical levels for the groundwater in Hässleholm municipality. Therefore, we are now issuing a sharper appeal: You need to limit your water use.
Hässleholm Miljö describes the situation as so serious that we are now only one meter away from a critical level in our groundwater reservoirs.
Mr. Speaker! It is about drinking water for our households. It is also about agriculture's opportunities to produce food. It is about companies that are dependent on water. It is about our crisis preparedness.
I welcome that the government is following the situation closely. I know that several authorities are working actively on the issue. At the same time, one returns to an important starting point in the minister's answer, namely that the ultimate responsibility lies with the municipalities.
Yes, the municipalities have an important responsibility. But the municipalities cannot handle the consequences of climate change on their own. They cannot alone solve the structural challenges that arise when entire regions experience recurring problems with the water supply.
Therefore, I ask: How does the government ensure that municipalities and regions receive the tools and resources required to meet a development that, according to research, will become increasingly common?
For me, this is not just an environmental issue or a drinking water issue. It is a question of societal preparedness and of people's security in everyday life.
Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)
Mr. Speaker! In the short term and from the situation that Anna Wallentheim describes, it is important that everyone follows the municipalities' recommendations and advice regarding the use of drinking water, for example, regarding the irrigation of lawns.
The County Administrative Boards also work actively, among other things, with regional cooperation with actors such as municipalities, water and sewage authorities, and LRF. Such a proactive dialogue with large water users ahead of the summer is good.
We can also note that in special events, there is also Vaka, National Water Catastrophe Group, which is a support function led by the National Food Agency. Previous experiences show that communication with residents of the municipality about the situation can quickly reduce water consumption.
A concrete example is last year when high water temperatures in Mälaren caused operational disruptions in the drinking water production. Affected residents of the municipality quickly reduced their water consumption following a request from the municipality.
Anna Wallentheim (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
For many of us who live in Skåne, the questions are: Will there be drinking water? Will I be able to water my garden? Will I be able to fill my pool? Will I be able to let the children have water fights with a clear conscience?
I agree with the Minister's answer. It is incredibly important that people follow the requests and advice given in light of the critical situation.
It also becomes a national issue. Skåne is Sweden's most important agricultural region. A large part of the food that is on the Swedes' plates is produced in Sweden.
When water shortages affect agriculture's ability to produce food, it is not just a problem for Skåne. It is an important issue for Sweden.
It concerns our food supply, our self-sufficiency rate and our preparedness in an increasingly restless time.
We live in a time when many parties are eager to speak about the increased self-sufficiency and how we strengthen our food security. Without water, there is no food production. When the water shortage hits Skåne, the consequences risk reaching far beyond Skåne's borders.
We know that climate change leads to longer periods of drought, greater variations in precipitation and more extreme weather events. We also know that water shortages are no longer an exception but are becoming something that recurs.
Data from authorities and municipalities show that the current situation resembles previous drought years. Several actors compare the situation with 2018. Many still remember that extreme year as highly problematic. We therefore need to discuss climate adaptation in earnest.
I welcome the government's initiatives on wetlands and the mapping of water balances. I also welcome that the government chooses to proceed with different types of analyses, as more knowledge is needed. At the same time, we already know today that several municipalities face major concrete challenges, and in those cases, it is not enough to merely point to ongoing assignments.
When municipalities like my home municipality Hässleholm send out SMS messages to residents stating that groundwater levels are now approaching critical levels, it is no longer about future scenarios and that we need more knowledge, but it affects people here and now. We know that the municipalities need the state as a partner, because they cannot manage this alone. A clearer national strategy for the water supply is needed.
Mr. Speaker! Water is our most important resource. When groundwater levels drop, it does not only affect households. It also affects, as I have said, agriculture, the natural environment and biodiversity.
Don't misunderstand me; these are important parts that the minister and the government are presenting. But I and many people in Skåne feel great concern about how this will develop over the summer, but also over time.
I therefore wonder: How can we ensure that the municipalities can make the necessary investments in the water infrastructure? And how can we improve the possibilities to store water in landscapes where we know that the future climate will involve greater variations between flooding and drought?
Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)
Mr. Speaker! These are good questions and an important discussion.
From and with 1 January 2024, all municipalities in Sweden shall have a current water service plan that maps out the municipality's long-term planning of how the need for public water services shall be met. There, an assessment is also made of which measures need to be taken so that public water and sewage facilities shall function during an increased load due to climate change.
To support the municipalities' work, the government has given the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Food Agency, and the National Board of Housing a government mandate to develop a guidance. It is to be ready next year, and the work is ongoing.
The water preparedness investigation submitted its final report at the end of 2024. The investigation has reviewed regulations and distribution of responsibility and proposed changes with the aim of strengthening the ability to deliver water services in the event of a crisis, high alert and ultimately war, as well as in the event of effects of climate change.
The Ministry of Climate and Enterprise is responsible for the management of the continued preparation of the proposal that is ongoing within the Government Offices.
Anna Wallentheim (S)
Mr. Speaker and the Minister! I share the Minister's view in the answer, because knowledge is important. I believe that many municipalities also welcome guidance on how to handle the water issue specifically.
We also know, however, that for many municipalities out in Sweden, it is incredibly tough financially. Resources are lacking in reality. It is clear that I would then wish that one could have provided additional resources to our municipalities and regions so that they could handle this issue.
No municipality can create rain itself, and no municipality can manage the consequences that follow from a changed climate. Therefore, no municipality should either have to stand alone when groundwater levels drop to critical levels.
In Skåne, people are now being urged to limit their water use, and I want to urge people once again to follow that advice. Municipalities are preparing for irrigation bans, and authorities are warning of water shortages. It is a clear sign that the water supply must be treated as a national issue.
We need to continue climate-adapting society. We need to strengthen water preparedness. We also need to secure our food production. We need to ensure that future generations can rely on something as fundamental as the existence of clean water.
I welcome that the government has taken several important initiatives, but I believe we also need to look at the issue further. We need to ensure that municipalities have the possibility to do what the state requests. There, the state needs to take greater responsibility to also provide the economic resources to the municipalities.
Water is not just a natural resource; it is a prerequisite for our entire future, in crises and in everyday life, every day.
Arbetsmarknadsminister och vikarierande klimat- och miljöministern Johan Britz (L)
Mr. Speaker! I mentioned earlier that SGU had received a mandate regarding the robustness of groundwater reservoirs. The result from that mandate confirms the picture that Anna Wallentheim provides, namely that climate change has already today changed the groundwater conditions in Sweden.
Among other things, the availability has been negatively affected in several places with lower groundwater supply in small and large reservoirs, which is assessed to worsen in the future. Studies have also shown deteriorated quality of the groundwater and that the change varies greatly between different locations in Sweden.
The government is on this issue. We are working to support the municipalities in their work. We give clear mandates to our agencies to take their responsibility in the water issue, which of course is not only a municipal issue but also an important national issue. Municipalities are connected and are affected in different ways by groundwater changes.
At the same time, it is important that the distribution of responsibility is clear: the municipalities have the operational responsibility for expanding, operating, and maintaining water and sewage facilities, while the state has the overall, legislative, supervisory, and guiding responsibility. The municipalities also have responsibility for the long-term planning of water and sewage services.
It can be mentioned in this context that the water and sewage preparedness investigation has provided proposals on how the water services act can be improved to support the municipalities' work with climate adaptation of water and sewage facilities. Let us return to that.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.