Still Green After Months of Drought, Šumava’s Peatlands Hold Water Like a Sponge

Rain finally arrived after several weeks of drought, but it did little to change the picture across southwestern Czechia. Rivers and reservoirs supplied by the Šumava and other mountain ranges remain at historically low levels.

Experts describe the water shortage as the result of several forces working together: missing rainfall, changes to the landscape and its long-term drainage. The effects are visible in places where water once had more opportunity to remain in the land.

An iDNES.cz reporter walked through Šumava peatlands and visited both areas where ditches designed to retain water are still present and locations where stream channels have already been restored. The differences between the sites are described as enormous.

The peatlands remain green after months of dry weather because they can hold water like a sponge. Their condition stands in contrast to the low rivers and reservoirs elsewhere in the region, showing how much the landscape’s ability to retain water can shape local conditions.