Water shortage in Saxony-Anhalt: New bans meet consumers!

Water shortage in Saxony-Anhalt: New bans meet consumers!

in Saxony-Anhalt, the persistent drought is increasingly serious. Several regions have already restricted the water withdrawal from rivers, lakes and wells in order to counteract an impending shortage of water. According to [ZEIT] (https://www.zeit.de/news/2025-06/28/wasserzt ,-in-Sachsen-Anhalt-part-part-down), counties and independent cities have reacted to this threat by issuing concrete bans or initiating their examination.

Such a measure comes into force on July 1st in Dessau-Roßlau, where the citizens are only allowed to water with a watering can between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Similar regulations already apply in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, where water withdrawal has been prohibited since June 26th to the end of September. The Jerichower Land also banned the removal from above-ground waters on June 28, while in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz the pumping from rivers and lakes will be severely restricted from June 30th.

challenge for agriculture

The drought also hits agriculture hard. Farmers and winegrowers report serious lack of water, which not only endangers the harvest yields, but also toast discussions about the climatic changes and their effects on water supply. A comment in the MDR points out that, for example, the richest percent of the population produces more greenhouse gases than two thirds of the world population and the responsibility for measures against climate change is apparently not equally distributed MDR.

The realization that the current measures for water protection may not be sufficient is also supported by the Wadklim research project. There, solutions for sustainable water management are developed there, which are part of the German adaptation strategy to climate change. Climate change as well as other factors such as water quality problems and increasing water withdrawals lead to a complex situation in the water availability in Germany [Federal Environment Agency] (https://www.umweltbundamt.de/fuss-deschmen

joint efforts are required

The lower water authorities in Saxony-Anhalt work together to create uniform regulations in order to counteract the water shortage. While some counties such as the district of Wittenberg are relying on information offers, the population in other regions learns support from strict regulations. In Anhalt-Bitterfeld, a new general order is already being worked on to effectively control water use.

The challenges of climate change are clear: future dry periods could further reduce water availability and potentially lead to conflicts of use. It is therefore essential to actively pursue the topics of water retention and efficiency and to strengthen the cooperation between user groups.

It remains to be hoped that the measures taken not only will help at short notice, but also promote long -term solutions to ensure water supply in times of climate change. If you manage to involve the natural ecosystems more into the water management view, this could also lead to a fairer distribution of subsequent water resources.