Severe drought leaves Switzerland's Lake Brenets nearly dry and tourism crippled

Lake Brenets, a popular summer destination straddling the Swiss-French border, has been reduced to a shallow, brown strip of water after an extended drought that has battered European waterways. The River Doubs, which supplies the lake, is receding at roughly 22 cm per day, leaving water levels more than nine metres below average. Tourist operators such as Yvan Durig, who runs the Societe de Navigation des Brenets, have stranded dozens of boats on the exposed lakebed and begun laying off employees, fearing a loss for the season.

MeteoSuisse reports rainfall since April has been about half the normal amount, and forecasts indicate continued dryness until at least mid-August, comparable to the severe droughts of 1976, 2003 and 2018. The dwindling water now forms a narrow central ribbon, confining fish and a pair of swans, while the Saut de Doubs waterfall downstream has almost ceased to flow. Long-time resident Martial Beyeler lamented the transformation of a once-idyllic spot into a desolate scene.