Potsdam threatens to ban water: Havel level continues to drop!

Potsdam threatens to ban water: Havel level continues to drop!

Brandenburg an der Havel, Deutschland - In the past few weeks, the weather has become a real challenge for many residents in Brandenburg an der Havel and the surrounding area. The persistent drought not only let the Havel's water levels drop greatly, but also led to the introduction of strict water removal restrictions. The Potsdam city administration observes exactly how the situation develops. At the moment, the flow of the Havel is only 20 cubic meters per second. [Tagesspiegel] (https://www.tagesspiegel.de/potsdam/landeshauptstadt/potsdam-kampf-martheit-die--die-havel-pegel-pegen-droht-ein-Ein-Ein-Ein-Ein-Ein-Ein-Ein-Ein-Ein-Berbot- 13894306.html) reports that the preliminary warning level has already been reached. If the flow falls below 12 cubic meters per second in three consecutive weeks, there is a risk of water with a water with a water, which would particularly affect allotment garden associations and some farmers.

The city of Brandenburg has already reacted and adopted a general order that prohibits the use of garden water fountain as well as watering and blowing up during the day. This regulation applies until September 30th to protect the water resources. Incoming warm and dry weather conditions have also led to very low flows in the Havel flowing waters. According to the MAZ, the low water light is already showing the first war stage (yellow) for the Havel, While the secondary waters plan and Buckau are even on red.

The effects of dryness

Dryness not only affects the municipalities, but also on the entire region. The German Weather Service has found that from the beginning of February to mid -April 2025, Germany has experienced the driestest period since 1931. It is particularly noteworthy that March 2025 in precipitation statistics only reached 21% of the average from the 1991-2020 period. Federal Environment Agency emphasizes that even in May there was only around 48 l/m² precipitation, which corresponds to 68% of the usual amount.

Especially the northern and northeastern parts of Germany are badly affected. Only dramatic 9 l/m² of precipitation were recorded here in March. This continuous drought means that the DWD's soil moisture shows significant drought stress in the top floor. The feared consequences are complex: from lower crop yields in agriculture to erosion through wind.

A call to water economy

In these challenging times, it is important to act in solidarity and to take into account the natural resources. The water withdrawal from surface waters is already severely restricted, and with the impending ban on water, it becomes clear that every drop counts.