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Saving water in Fulda: Appeal against drought and heat waves!
East Hesse is facing a water shortage: The city of Fulda and surrounding communities are urgently calling for water conservation in view of extremely high temperatures.
Saving water in Fulda: Appeal against drought and heat waves!
Summer is finally here and with it a heat wave that is currently putting East Hesse to the test. Temperatures above 30 degrees create a sweaty atmosphere and push the water supply in regions such as Fulda, Petersberg, Eichenzell and Ebersburg to its limits. The municipalities and RhönEnergie are urgently calling for people to save water, as consumption could increase by up to 60% Fulda.de reported.
Supported by Mayor Claudia Brandes from Petersberg and her colleague Johannes Rothmund from Eichenzell and Benjamin Reinhart from Ebersburg, Mayor Dr. Heiko Wingenfeld sign. They appeal to all citizens to use the precious water responsibly. The situation is serious: In spring, precipitation in the Rhön fell by 73% compared to the previous year, which puts additional strain on the water supply.
Insights into the challenges
The municipality of Fulda has already taken measures to relieve pressure on the water supply. Watering of sports fields is only permitted in the evening hours, and the trees no longer enjoy fresh water from the indoor swimming pool very often. Some fountains in the city have to stand still for the time being. And in Petersberg even the ornamental fountain was turned off, with the building yard only using water from cisterns.
The fire department is also asked not to use drinking water during firefighting exercises. In order to defuse the situation in an emergency, the four municipalities and Ebersburg have prepared emergency regulations. In the event of an impending supply emergency, certain water consumption could be prohibited, for example for irrigation, washing cars or filling pools.
Tips for saving water
The responsible authorities provide citizens with six practical savings tips:
- Duschen statt Baden (70 Liter vs. 150-170 Liter).
- Wasch- und Geschirrspülmaschinen nur voll nutzen.
- Auf Autowaschen und Poolbefüllung verzichten.
- Pflanzen morgens oder abends gießen, um Verdunstung zu vermeiden.
- Mit Gartenschläuchen statt Sprinklern bewässern.
- Rasen nicht bewässern und länger wachsen lassen, um Feuchtigkeit zu halten.
The water shortage in Germany has many reasons, such as DVGW shows. The dry year of 2018 gave a foretaste of the challenges posed by climate change. At that time, daily water consumption reached record levels. Longer dry periods and rising temperatures are also expected in the future, which will put a strain on security of supply.
Another focus is on water quality. Increasing demand in metropolitan regions and problems such as nitrate pollution require a rethinking of water use. Innovative approaches to water management, such as those developed in the WADKlim research project, aim to strengthen the resilience of the water supply system Federal Environment Agency points out.
The ongoing challenges of water scarcity require increased cooperation between water suppliers, municipalities and disaster control. The need to take into account the needs of all user groups is of central importance. This is the only way to ensure that there is enough water available for everyone, even in hot summers like this one.