DUH demands improvement in the national action program to combat the nitrate pollution in German waters
DUH demands improvement in the national action program to combat the nitrate pollution in German waters
Environmental aid calls for decisive measures to reduce nitrate pollution
The current nitrate report of the Federal Government has caused the German Environmental Aid (DUH) to sharply criticize the rejection of the new fertilizer law by the Federal Council and to apply for a revision of the national action program. The data show that the nitrate pollution in German waters has hardly been improved since 2020. A total of 25.6 percent of the groundwater measuring points are above the European limit for nitrate, which clearly fails to miss the goals of EU water protection.
The DUH argues that the rejection of the revised fertilizer law by the Federal Council represents a blatant political failure. There are still no binding requirements for transparent mapping of nutrient flows and for effective monitoring of the fabric entries. Environmental Minister Lemke and Minister of Agriculture Özdemir are therefore asked to revise the national action program and to implement stricter measures to reduce the nitrate pollution.
One of the main causes for the nitrate pollution of water are nitrogen -containing fertilizers from agriculture, such as mineral fertilizers or manure. These not only lead to increased costs for drinking water extraction, but also endanger the health and ecosystem of waters and their inhabitants. It is therefore of crucial importance that the Federal Government takes additional measures as soon as possible to reduce the nitrate pollution and to comply with the requirements of the EU Nitra Directive.
FAZIT
The DUH continues to make itself strong for a sustainable reduction in nitrate pollution in German waters and urges measures to enforce strict requirements with regard to the application of fertilizers. It is to be hoped that the federal government will meet the demands and take concrete steps to improve water quality and water protection.
- Nag