Salzlandkreis breathes a sigh of relief: no water withdrawal ban in sight!

Salzlandkreis breathes a sigh of relief: no water withdrawal ban in sight!

The heat wave that is currently gripping Germany is not without consequences. Temperatures are rising above 30 degrees in many regions. In the Salzland district, where it is expected to reach up to 33 degrees on Tuesday and even up to 38 degrees on Wednesday, farmers are relieved about the current rain, but at the same time they admit that there is never enough precipitation. Katharina Elwert, managing director of the Salzland Farmers' Association, sums up the concern: “Farmers need rainfall to ensure good harvests,” especially for herbs, onions and vegetables. [MZ].

In the midst of this situation, however, the Salzlandkreis is giving the all-clear: there is currently no need for action under water law. Accordingly, there have so far been no measures to ban water abstraction in this area. However, the situation looks different in other regions of Saxony-Anhalt. In districts such as Dessau-Roßlau, Altmarkkreis Salzwedel and Jerichower Land, water withdrawal bans already apply in order to counteract the sharp drop in water levels. Several cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, including Bonn and the Rhein-Sieg district, are also affected by such bans. Tagesspiegel shows that this phenomenon is being observed more and more frequently, especially in eastern Germany, where the groundwater table is falling and more and more regions are suffering from water extraction restrictions.

Agricultural challenges

The need to use water sparingly affects not only citizens, but also agriculture. The Salzlandkreis has announced that it will carry out continuous monitoring of water data and soil moisture. Farmers are now observing that they are still doing well thanks to water-saving irrigation techniques, even though investments in modern methods such as drip irrigation are often expensive. In 2022, just 554,000 hectares of arable land were irrigated in Germany - this corresponds to only 3.3 percent of total arable land. MZ

In view of global warming and repeated dry years, a study by the Ecologic Institute Ecologic sees possible future conflicts in water use coming our way. These assessments are based on the drought in the summer months of 2018 and 2019, which has already resulted in bottlenecks in agricultural irrigation and restrictions on water withdrawals from surface waters.

Outlook and options for action

The shortage of water resources could worsen in the coming years, particularly due to the increasing demand for water as a result of the establishment of industrial companies such as data centers. In order to counteract these challenges, the Ecologic Institute is conducting research into, among other things, water availability and possible usage conflicts. Concrete solutions could arise from a concept for regional water advisory councils, which are intended to promote exchange between different sectors in order to better coordinate needs and resources. The development of maps of renewable water availability and recommendations for the reuse of water in urban areas are further objectives of the project.

Overall, the Salzlandkreis is spared the prospect of a water withdrawal ban for the time being, but the expert warnings and the situation in other regions of Germany urge caution. It remains to be seen how the weather will develop and what further measures will be necessary to sustainably manage the valuable water reserves.