Safe water in Lithuania: notices, drought and what to store

Short answer. Lithuania's tap water (non-bottled drinking water) is one of the areas controlled by the State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) ¹. Phaenyx found no national list of boil-water or do-not-drink notices, so keep your water supplier's and municipality's contacts at hand. Store 12 litres of drinking water per person for 72 hours, as the LT72 preparedness guidance advises ².

How do I know if my tap water is unsafe?

Non-bottled drinking water is listed among the State Food and Veterinary Service's (VMVT) areas of activity ¹. Phaenyx found no national register of boil-water or do-not-drink notices for Lithuania.

In practice, keep the contact details of your water supplier and municipality with your emergency papers, and listen for local instructions. How official warnings reach you, including LRT broadcasts and Cell Broadcast messages to phones, is on our Lithuania alerts page.

If you are told to boil water or not to drink it, follow the local instruction. See What to do during a boil-water notice and Do-not-drink notices.

How much water should I store?

The LT72 guidance from the Fire and Rescue Department says: "Consider the amount of supplies of drinking water, i.e. 12 litres of water for one person per 72 hours", preferably in small bottles ².

For the evacuation bag, the guidance is about 2 to 4 litres of water per day, in small containers, plus water purification tablets and a filter ³. Full lists are on our Lithuania emergency supplies page. For storage and treatment, see How much water to store per person per day?, Water storage containers and How to purify water.

Is Lithuania short of water?

Water stress, as the World Resources Institute (WRI) measures it, is a model indicator: the ratio of water demand to renewable supply ⁶. It describes pressure on resources, not a shortage at the tap.

In WRI's Aqueduct 4.0 model, the population-weighted median of Lithuania's cities falls in the "high" band (40-80%) for water stress today and in the 2050 business-as-usual projection, and in the "medium-high" band for drought risk ⁴. These are city medians: a given town can sit higher or lower.

WRI's own country ranking, which weights the whole country by water demand, puts Lithuania one band lower for water stress: "medium-high" (20-40%) today and in 2050 under business as usual. For drought risk it also gives "medium-high" ⁵.

Phaenyx found no official Lithuanian page on drought restrictions or watering bans. If water runs short where you live, follow your municipality and supplier. See Drought preparedness and No running water.

What about private wells or a flood?

If a well may be contaminated, see Private well emergencies; after a flood, follow local instructions and see Water safety after a flood. Phaenyx found no official Lithuanian guidance on testing private wells. A household plan can keep your water stock, local contacts and warning channels in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Is 12 litres per person per day?

No. It is 12 litres per person for the whole 72 hours ².

Who controls tap water in Lithuania?

Non-bottled drinking water is one of the State Food and Veterinary Service's areas of activity ¹.

Should my evacuation bag hold water?

Yes. LT72 suggests about 2 to 4 litres per day in small containers, plus purification tablets and a filter ³.

Is there a national list of boil-water notices?

No national list was found: keep your water supplier's and municipality's contacts at hand, and follow local instructions.