Water removal in Weimar prohibited: drought threatens to damage nature!

Water removal in Weimar prohibited: drought threatens to damage nature!

in Thuringia, especially in Weimar, makes the continued drought strong to the waters. As thueringen24.de , the water levels in the rivers, including the ILM, are dramatically sunk. This development is not new because the rainfall had been below the long -term average for months. April, May and June 2025 recorded historically low amounts of rain, which led to a worryingly low water level in many waters.

For the city of Weimar, this now means that from July 4, a temporary ban on withdrawal of water from urban waters applies. This ban is expected to remain in force until October 31, 2025. All that remains is the scooping of water with hand vessels for the cattle drinks. The city administration asks the population for understanding this measure, which should serve to maintain the ecological state of the waters and to avoid damage

massive restrictions throughout Thuringia

not only in Weimar, but also in other parts of Thuringia, water withdrawal from rivers and lakes is now taboo. As n-tv.de The bans also apply in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt Weimarer Land. These measures were only introduced this week, whereby the ban has existed in the Saale-Orla district since last week. Bans have also been issued in the Hildburghausen and Saale-Holzland district districts this year, while in districts such as Sonneberg, Ilm-Kreis and in Erfurt and Gera have been restrictions for several years.

The risk that the basic ecological functions will be endangered in small rivers is real. The ban is intended to avert irreversible damage to the above -ground waters, which presents citizens with a challenge. An overview of the Thuringian State Office for the Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation shows the pronounced low water in almost all of Thuringia.

A look at the causes

The current situation is reinforced by the continued drought in Germany. The German Weather Service (DWD) reports that between February and April 2025 the driest phase has been recorded since 1931. March in particular was extremely dry with only 21 % of the rainfall compared to 1991-2020. In May, only about 48 l/m² of precipitation fell, which corresponds to 68 % of the usually expected value. It is a pattern of precipitation that fluctuates regionally, but leads to serious bottlenecks in many parts of the country.

In this tense location, the handling of water becomes all the more important. According to environmental office.de the lack of water does not refer to the rivers, but also to the groundwater levels that are extremely low in many places. Agriculture is particularly affected here. Climate change already has a noticeable effect on the soil moisture and the local weather.

The need to increase resilience compared to such dry periods can be clearly seen on the horizon. Adaptation strategies are developed at both federal and local levels to protect the water cycle and make it sensible. Everyone can help save water and use it efficiently, especially when irrigation.