About one in three campsites in Switzerland is situated in or near a risk zone along rivers, lakes or in avalanche regions, an in-depth analysis has found.
Altogether, there are 444 campsites across the country and some of them are open all year round, according to a syndicated report by the SonntagsZeitung and Le Matin Dimanche newspapers.
People living in these natural hazard zonesExternal link during the winter or bad weather spells with high waters could get killed, an expert of the Federal Environment Agency is quoted in the report.
He stressed the importance of emergency plans for all the campsites.
However, there are considerable regional differences due to a wide-ranging local autonomy and also a lack of risk consciousness among clients of the campsites, according to the newspapers.
On Saturday, the newspapers of the Tamedia publishing house put online a nationwide map, based on information from the country’s 26 cantonal authorities.
The authors or the report claim that there are more than one million people in Switzerland (with a total population of 8.5 million) living in a flood risk zone, 65,000 of them even in a high-risk area.
More
More
Swiss campsites are the most expensive in Europe
This content was published on
Switzerland is the dearest country in Europe for camping, according to a study by the German automobile club ADAC.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Switzerland launches national digital inclusion alliance
This content was published on
The Swiss government launched the Swiss Digital Inclusion Alliance on Thursday with the goal of giving as many people as possible access to digital services.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Struggling campsites invest to attract hipsters
This content was published on
Between 2009 and 2015, the number of nights spent in tents in Switzerland dropped by 30%, according to figures released on Monday by the Federal Statistical Office. Last year some 2.7 million overnights were recorded, two-thirds booked by Swiss campers. The number of Swiss pitching tents actually rose by 10% on the previous year, but…
This content was published on
The figures are provisional, and a fuller picture of the numbers won’t be possible until the end of the summer season, but compared to the same period in 2016 overnight stays at Swiss camp sites rose by 42%. In comparison, stays at holiday homes went up by 7%, hotels by 4%, and youth hostels and…
This content was published on
Switzerland and Austria have been awarded coveted Unesco intangible cultural heritage status for their management of avalanche risks.
Floods: images of the past help prepare for the future
This content was published on
A University of Bern research project aims to reinforce collective memory of floods by inviting citizens to submit their images.
Emergency water alarm sirens fail in annual test run
This content was published on
On the first Wednesday of every February, Switzerland reverberates to the sound of close to 8,000 sirens, as the country carries out its annual test of the devices. Introduced during wartime, they are now used to alert the population to impending catastrophes or water dangers such as flooding. At 13:30 sirens across the country sounded the…
This content was published on
Switzerland is tidying up after the storm Burglind. Additional destruction could follow in the form of high water and avalanches.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.