Oslo municipality is currently having a water supply crises, and the water levels of Maridalsvannet, a lake that provides Oslo with most of its drinking water, is at an all-time low. This has lead to Oslo sending an SMS to all its inhabitants asking them to reduce the amount of water they use. They urge everyone to reduce their water usage by any means possible.
Some of the things Oslo municipality suggest is to take shorter showers, always turn off the faucet when not actively using water, use eco setting on appliances like the dishwashers and washing machines, and not water the grass.
Any method that can reduce the amount of water you use are good, so make sure to not waste any water if you are currently on Oslo.
While it’s kind of an emergency for the municipality, it’s still well within the levels needed to provide drinking water to its inhabitants. These measures are part of trying to reduce the amount used, and they claim that there is not immediate danger of running completely out of drinking water.
However, there is fear that a water crisis on Oslo could become reality if no one takes the water saving warnings seriously, combined with no rainfall in the coming weeks.
Oslo municipality is changing its water source in 2028
Oslo municipality is currently working on moving its water source from Maridalsvannet to Holsfjorden. This is a big change, and it’s not planned to be ready until at least 2028. The operation requires many miles of underground pipes, but the good part of this is that once completed, Oslo will be supplied with an almost infinite water source.
Hopefully this will stop Oslo from having water supply problems in the future, but as of right now everyone in the city needs to reduce their water usage as much as possible.