Better drought preparedness in Sweden – but gaps remain
Extreme weather and an increasingly unpredictable climate are making drought and water scarcity a growing concern in Sweden. New research shows that municipalities are getting better at managing drought, but preventive preparedness is still lagging behind.
The study was conducted by researchers at Uppsala University, Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg and examines how well prepared Swedish municipalities are for drought. It also investigates whether municipalities’ own perceptions of drought risk correspond with meteorological measurements.
“Results show that municipalities’ preparedness has improved - but from a low starting point. Municipalities feel that they are better at managing drought once it occurs than at preparing for future droughts,” says Martin Mickelsson, researcher at the University of Gothenburg and one of the authors of the study.
The proportion of responding municipalities in Sweden that reported having a specific drought plan increased from 14 per cent in 2018 to 24 per cent after 2022. However, after 2022, 58 per cent of the responding municipalities still lacked a drought plan. It was also uncommon for municipalities to use scientific concepts and definitions when describing different types of drought.
Past droughts shape perceptions of future fisk
Experiences of previous droughts appear to influence how municipalities assess the risk of drought in the future. In northern Sweden, municipalities that were more severely affected by the 2018 drought also perceived a greater risk of future drought after 2022. However, the same pattern was not observed across the country as a whole.
“If perceptions of drought risk are influenced by recent experiences, there is a risk that the issue will be given lower priority following a less severe drought year. This could be problematic if the long-term risk remains,” says Martin Mickelsson.
According to the study, municipalities’ perceptions of drought do not always correspond with meteorological measurements.
“Meteorological measurements provide an important picture of drought conditions, but they do not tell us everything about how drought affects an individual municipality. Local conditions, access to water and the types of activities and services affected can also play a major role in how severe the situation is perceived to be,” says Martin Mickelsson.
More preventive action is needed
The study indicates that municipalities need to take a more preventive approach to drought preparedness. Clearer plans are needed for what action should be taken when drought risk increases, as well as monitoring methods that take local conditions and risks into account.
“By knowing in advance what to monitor, when measures need to be implemented and who is responsible for what, municipalities can be better prepared before water shortages become acute,” says Martin Mickelsson.
For more information about the research, please contact:
Martin Mickelsson, researcher at the University of Gothenburg, Department of Earth Sciences
Email: martin.mickelsson@gu.se
Elin Stenfors, Uppsala University, Department of Earth Sciences
Email: elin.stenfors@geo.uu.se
The study ”Evolving perceptions of drought risk and management: Insights from a repeated survey of Swedish municipalities” is published inInternational Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2026.106357