Italy is currently being hit by an extreme drought. It’s also warm and dry in Germany – are we at risk of water shortages?
Frankfurt – Lots of sun, little rain: For some, that may be the perfect description of summer. However, if you look at the environment, this weather is far from perfect. High temperatures and little rain is extremely difficult for nature. Forest fires occur in many places and the water is running out. The heat affects people too.
In Italy is already experiencing a dramatic drought: A state of emergency has been declared in some parts of the country due to water shortages and the agriculturally important one River Po is filled with water from Lake Garda. According to the Italian government, Italy is suffering from the worst drought in 70 years. Because of the drought, cities like Verona are even restricting drinking water consumption – is there a risk of similar scenarios in Germany?
Drought in Germany? Italy has already declared a state of emergency due to water shortages
Some German municipalities are now also regulating water consumption, like this Editorial Network Germany (RND) reported. “But water will not be as scarce here as it is now in Italy,” said Andreas Hartmann, head of the Institute for Groundwater Management at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the TU Dresden time. Germany has larger water reservoirs and better pipes, through which, compared to dilapidated pipes in Italy, not so much is wasted.
Something must now be done to ensure that Germany does not end up in a situation similar to that of Italy. This emerges from the draft of a national water strategy by the Federal Ministry for the Environment from last year. Measures could therefore include cheaper water costs at times when demand is lower, for example so that garden owners only water their plants in the evening so that less water evaporates. In addition, when water becomes scarce, pools should no longer be filled and lawns should no longer be watered. According to the Ministry of the Environment, however, the companies must be addressed before things can get that far. The ministry does not consider general rationing to be a solution.
Drought in Europe: Something must be done to prevent water shortages in Germany
A lot has happened in recent years as far as the water consumption of people in Germany is concerned: while German households used an average of 147 liters per day in 1990 according to the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), today it is 127 liters 20 liters less per day. One reason is advances in technology: for example, water-saving washing and rinsing programs. Nevertheless, according to the UN, water consumption is expected to increase by around one percent per year over the next 30 years.
- Italy: A state of emergency has been declared for these regions
- Emilia Romagna
- Friuli Venezia Giulia
- Lombardy
- Piedmont
- Veneto
In the past 20 years, Germany has lost water in the amount of Lake Constance. This was observed by Jay Famiglietti, director of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatoon, Canada, who is evaluating data from the Grace satellites on behalf of NASA and the German Aerospace Center. The satellites measure the changes in the Earth’s gravity, which are caused, for example, by water loss.
Water shortage due to drought: It is unclear when this could happen in Germany
According to Famiglietti and the German environmental scientist Claudia Pahl-Wostl, when water could become scarce in Germany is not so easy to answer: factors like that climate change and the national water strategy are influencing this, reports das ZDF. A water shortage that is regional and limited in time keeps Pahl-Wostl loud ZDF in the coming years, however, very likely.
Due to climate change, at some point, too life on earth will no longer be possible – researchers explain when it will be so far. (Lea-Sophie Mollus)
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