Bavaria facing drought catastrophe: Water management office sounds the alarm!

Bavaria facing drought catastrophe: Water management office sounds the alarm!

What's going on in Bavaria? The current drought is causing serious problems for the water bodies in the Free State. According to the latest reports from the Mercury Many rivers and streams are severely affected - some have even disappeared. An alarming situation made worse by the recent dry winter and warm June, with an average temperature of 19.1 degrees. With only 68 liters per square meter, the recent rains cannot come close to keeping up with the usual values, which are around 60% more for this time of year.

The situation in Tutzing is particularly critical, where the pond there has to be fished out due to the lack of water in order to save the remaining fish. The cow exodus at Farchant has also reduced to a small trickle. The Traunstein Water Management Office is calling on the population to save water in order to ensure the survival of the fish populations.

Water management in crisis

The situation calls for constructive solutions. The Bavarian State Institute for the Environment warns of increasing usage conflicts among water users. To ensure fair water distribution, everyone affected must pull together. Measures to adapt to the changing water situation are essential, taking into account both preventive and emergency measures.

A pioneering example is the Bavarian Climate Adaptation Strategy (BayKLAS), which is developing a management plan for low water situations. This plan is based on regional water data and requires a high level of cooperation between water management and farmers. Adapted irrigation plans must be developed to minimize agricultural water requirements in affected areas. Progressive concepts, such as the Water Framework Directive, are intended to protect sensitive surface waters.

Climate change as a long-term challenge

The Federal Environment Agency highlights the need for long-term adaptation concepts for water management. Against this background, innovative processes such as the decision support system “WASKlim-EUS” are of great importance. This means that future usage conflicts resulting from climate change can be better avoided.

Current developments make it clear that heroic efforts are needed to protect and preserve water resources. The summer of 2025 could go down as one of the driest in history, and every liter counts to preserve the remaining water resources and the species that live within them.