Water shortage in Germany: First bans and urgent warnings!

Water shortage in Germany: First bans and urgent warnings!

In Germany, water shortages are becoming a serious challenge. The German Association of Towns and Municipalities is sounding the alarm and pointing out that longer dry phases due to climate change could significantly endanger the communities' water supply. Municipalities must therefore prepare for possible restrictions and, in critical situations, leisure activities such as watering golf courses and gardens should be prohibited, says managing director André Berghegger of the Association of Cities and Municipalities.

How T online reported, Germany can no longer be seen as a water-rich country. Precautions are necessary to ensure drinking water supplies and food production - even if they are not always popular. Ideal management calls for bans to be used as a last resort when voluntary measures are not sufficient.

Regional measures and current approach

Water withdrawals from rivers, lakes and wells have already been restricted or completely prohibited in several districts of Saxony-Anhalt. In Dessau-Roßlau, from July 1st, water withdrawal will be stopped between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., with the exception of scooping with a watering can. A ban has also been in effect in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel since June 24th until the end of September. Another example is the Jerichower Land, where the use of groundwater and drinking water for irrigation has been prohibited since June 26th. In addition, in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, water extraction using pumps will be banned from June 28th, and watering gardens and sports facilities between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. is no longer permitted.

Loud Federal Environment Agency The climate impacts have led to a significantly reduced water supply. In the past 20 years, Germany has lost as much water as the volume of Lake Constance. 2.5 cubic kilometers of fresh water sinks every year. Due to prolonged years of drought between 2018 and 2021, the country experienced a dramatic decline in groundwater. This not only impacts the drinking water supply, over 70% of which comes from groundwater, but also the region's entire water balance.

Appreciation of the challenges

The increasing water requirements of energy-intensive industry, agriculture and the everyday lives of citizens are compounding the problem. Energy supply in particular consumes the largest share of water withdrawals at over 44%, while agriculture takes up more than 2%. With its national water strategy, the Federal Environment Ministry is pursuing the goal of ensuring a reliable water supply by 2030. Instead of uncoordinated emergency measures, we rely on in-depth, sustainable water management, such as ZDF Today reported.

In order to cope with future water shortages, the Federal Environment Agency recommends the implementation of comprehensive adaptation measures and the promotion of water efficiency and reuse. To achieve this, it is essential to strengthen cooperation between different user groups to ensure fair and equitable access rights for everyone. The challenge remains that water scarcity is a complex problem that is difficult to predict due to unpredictable climatic conditions and human activities.