Rising Water Scarcity in Sweden Demands Urgent Investments

The risk of water scarcity from Lake Mälaren is expected to become increasingly common. Experts agree: substantial investments are necessary to manage the situation. “Water supply faces two major challenges,” states Martina Söderström from Sweco.

A week has passed since Stockholm Water and Waste (SVOA) announced that the water production situation is strained, urging 1.5 million people in twelve municipalities to help reduce consumption.

This has brought renewed focus on water issues.

The industry organization Svenskt Vatten has called for a national action plan for water infrastructure in Sweden.

• There is a shortfall of ten billion kronor annually in investments for sewage and other drinking water infrastructure, said CEO Pär Dalhielm to SVT.

Expert: A Matter of Security

More experts agree on the need for investments.

Martina Söderström, head of Sweco Sweden's department for environment, water, and urban planning, writes in an email to Expressen that Sweden's water supply faces two major challenges: aging infrastructure and the effects of climate change.

“To meet future needs, significant investments in water infrastructure are required. This is an important issue for the safety and security of municipal residents, and therefore requires clear political priorities and long-term planning,” writes Martina Söderström.

According to her, many municipalities, including Stockholm, are “actively working to address these challenges.”

Water Investments in Stockholm

SVOA, for example, has an investment program running until 2050. This includes renovating water towers, laying five miles of new water pipes, building a new water treatment plant, and renovating and expanding the two existing ones.

“Our two water treatment plants are sometimes close to their maximum production, for example during heatwaves,” writes SVOA on its website.

As temperatures rise, water scarcity is likely to become more common, according to experts, as high temperatures in raw water (the source for drinking water) affect the water purification process in several ways, while it takes a long time to expand, renovate, and upgrade to newer technology.

Criticism: Too Late

Some experts believe the investments have started too late.

• It is always difficult to plan for the future, but society has generally been poor at considering not only what we need today but what we will need in the future, said Pär Dalhielm at Svenskt Vatten to Tidningen Näringslivet.

Anna Dahlman Petri, a water expert at WSP, believes there is also great uncertainty in calculating future water volumes, and the fact that water and sewage are financed by fees and not taxes plays a role.

“Politicians Must Be Bold”

• Politicians may feel they cannot raise fees further. They may not be able to invest more in water and sewage if they cannot adjust fees and costs. But there needs to be an understanding that it takes a very long time to plan such things, and decisions must be made long before things happen.

So what is needed going forward?

• Investment capability. Politicians need to look beyond a single term, and the decision-making basis for officials needs to be so clear that politicians understand the situation.

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