Midsummer celebrants in Båstad have been urged to save on water.
Otherwise the crane may be empty – already tonight.
– You simply have to accept that the lawn must not be green, says Jonas Håkansson, head of department at NSVA.
During the summer months, Båstad municipality is filled with holidaymakers.
But when pools are to be filled up, lawns are watered and juice jugs are to be presented on the tables, water consumption is skyrocketing.
This midsummer weekend is no exception.
Now the municipal water company is urging residents to save on water, otherwise it may run out.
– It has stabilized somewhat since we issued the warning, but the danger is definitely not over, says Jonas Håkansson, head of the drinking water department at NSVA.
– You simply have to accept that the lawn must not be green. It is much more important that there is drinking water for food and hygiene.
Worst situation in 25 years
The high water consumption made Jonas Håkansson and his colleagues really raise their eyebrows yesterday.
– Even though I have worked with this since −96, this is something I have never experienced, because it went from a normal consumption to an extreme consumption of half an hour.
– We first thought it was a leak but then at midnight it went down and then the same trend started again at kl. 8 this morning, says Jonas Håkansson.
It is residents in Hemmeslöv, Östra Karup, Eskilstorpsstrand, central Båstad and the surrounding area, in Båstad municipality who are encouraged to save on water.
– What happens, if we get an empty pipeline, is that there is no water in the tap. It also affects the work of the rescue service, says Håkansson.
Such a serious water shortage means that the water quality cannot be controlled, which in turn would lead to residents having to boil the water for three days. A situation that NSVA now hopes to avoid.
“Hygiene and cooking”
Even though the situation is now more extreme than usual, the municipal company usually issues a warning to save water almost every year.
But now it is important to be vigilant if you want to be able to shower as usual this midsummer weekend.
– Use the water, the drinking water, for what it is really intended for – hygiene and cooking. Other parts such as irrigation, it must simply give up now because we do not have the resources for it as it is now.