Northern Saxony district: water withdrawal is strictly prohibited due to drought!

Northern Saxony district: water withdrawal is strictly prohibited due to drought!

The ongoing drought does not stop at the German districts. A drastic ban on abstracting water from above-ground bodies of water has now come into force in the district of Northern Saxony. From now on, residents are no longer allowed to pump out water in order to protect the environment and not further endanger the critical water levels in rivers and streams. This ban will apply until September 30, 2025, unless lifted earlier, as n-tv reported.

The responsible authorities have announced that they will carry out more checks in the summer months. Although some people with government permission are still allowed to withdraw water, they must adhere to strict restrictions. The authorities are tough when it comes to monitoring the regulations: Anyone who violates the ban must expect high fines, which can even be up to 50,000 euros t online determines.

A broad problem

North Saxony is not alone with its ban. Other districts, such as Hersfeld-Rotenburg and the Saale-Holzland district, have already taken similar measures that prohibit the pumping of water from rivers, streams and other bodies of water. The amount of water available is becoming increasingly critical. The Helmholtz Center's drought monitor shows that Germany as a whole is suffering from water shortages and many regions - especially in the east - are particularly affected by drought geo informed.

The authority has called on the population to avoid wasting water and to find out about suitable plants for gardens that require less water. More and more cities and districts are also considering introducing restrictions on water withdrawal in order to counteract dwindling water reserves.

Regulations at a glance

• Landkreis Nordsachsen: Wasserentnahme aus allen oberirdischen Gewässern bis 30. September 2025 verboten.
• Landkreis Hersfeld-Rotenburg: Wasserentnahme aus Flüssen, Bächen und Seen untersagt.
• Saale-Holzland-Kreis: Verbot zur Bewässerung mit Wasser aus Bächen, Flüssen, Teichen oder Quellen.
• Bußgelder bis zu 50.000 Euro bei Verstößen in Nordsachsen.

With these measures, the authorities want to ensure that the flora and fauna do not suffer under the circumstances and that the aquatic ecology in the region is not further endangered. It remains to be seen how the weather conditions will develop in the coming months while the population is urged to use the valuable resource of water responsibly.