Heat threatens the drinking water supply
The heatwave is pushing drinking water supplies to their limits across Germany.
In Munich, the first restrictions have been imposed: swimming pools may no longer be filled, and gardens may only be watered between 7 pm and 9 am. Some of the city’s fountains have been turned off. This could happen everywhere in future.
Many water suppliers are pessimistic
A Report Mainz survey of water suppliers in the 50 largest and the 50 most populous districts and independent cities shows that a significant proportion of companies doubt whether they will still be able to reliably ensure the drinking water supply in future using the existing infrastructure. (Report Mainz | ARD | 28 July 2026).
Of the 140 or so companies that responded to the non-representative survey, almost 19 per cent believe that, given the increasing number of hot days, the current infrastructure will be “barely able” or “not at all” able to cope with the supply. 45 per cent say it is “just about manageable”, whilst 36 per cent consider themselves “well” prepared.
Fears are now mounting that the Rhine will reach its lowest water level in 500 years. Ships can now only carry a quarter of their usual cargo. “Something’s finally got to happen on the Rhine,” jokes the Bild newspaper. Water restrictions are now in place in over 100 German towns and districts. This is causing enormous damage to the local economy – and therefore to all of us.
Germany needs a water revolution: what does that mean?
In concrete terms, a water revolution means: collecting and retaining water where it falls; not using drinking water where greywater or service water will do; utilising rainwater; organising a decentralised, ecological water supply; and reducing our water consumption through conscious shopping and mindful eating.
The Bundestag should pass a law mandating the installation of water-efficient fittings and promoting water-saving showers, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers, whilst heavy users would have to pay a ‘water cent’. In this way, every German would consume only half as much water as they do today.
Just like waste, wastewater is also a valuable resource. A prerequisite for a new water policy, of course, is a new awareness of water from the grassroots up and a correspondingly new water policy from the top down. The formula is: protect, conserve, rehabilitate. Water protection is environmental protection, and vice versa.
No water, no life
Water is the lifeblood of the Earth. Water is much more than H2O. According to a UN water report, 360,000 children die every year from contaminated drinking water. Everything originated from water. It is the most universal raw material of every culture and the foundation of all physical and mental development.
Climate change and environmental pollution will result in new water cycles. One of the greatest challenges of the future is a new water policy. Water is our number one resource. Wars over water cannot be ruled out. Water could become the new oil. Water is systemically important.
Our Earth is a water planet. Three-quarters of it is covered by water. Water exists in many forms, whether as the sea, a river, a lake or a cloud. And it is the source of all life, an important energy source and the essential prerequisite for our food supply.
