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Critical drought: Werra-Meißner district prohibits water extraction!
In the Werra-Meißner district, there is now a ban on withdrawing water from bodies of water due to acute drought and falling water levels.
Critical drought: Werra-Meißner district prohibits water extraction!
There is an acute water shortage in the Werra-Meißner district! Water levels have fallen to critical levels due to persistent drought. In a clear response to this, the district's lower water authority has issued a strict ban on the abstraction of water from surface waters. This measure not only affects the owners, but also the public and local residents, i.e. drawing and pumping water is prohibited in order to protect the valuable resources. An exception, however, is the Werra, which, as a first-class body of water, is not affected by this ban for the time being, reports myregion365.de.
Dr. Philipp Kanzow, the district councilor, makes it unmistakably clear that protecting water bodies has the highest priority. Current weather forecasts also show no hope of precipitation soon. Although local thunderstorms may provide short-term relief, they will not be enough to permanently raise low water levels. The Federal Environment Agency points out that Germany is facing its driest period since 1931 this year. The first four months of the year in particular were characterized by shockingly low amounts of precipitation, a fact that underpins both the water shortage and the Helmholtz Center's drought monitor, which shows an increase in drought geo.de.
Water withdrawal restricted
The ban in the Werra-Meißner district reflects a nationwide trend. In many regions of Germany, such as Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt, similar regulations have been issued due to low water levels. Water withdrawal is restricted or completely prohibited in several districts. This is intended to reduce the enormous pressure on water resources, which is occurring more and more frequently due to global warming and the associated droughts. The last few months have been challenging for agriculture, affected by lack of irrigation and death of old trees Umweltbundesamt.de.
Citizens are therefore called upon to use the precious resource of water more sparingly. There is a risk of high fines of up to 100,000 euros for violations of the ban. These drastic measures are intended to ensure that the water balance remains guaranteed in the future and that our waters do not come under further pressure. The general order and further information can be viewed on the official homepage of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis.
It remains to be seen whether the weather will improve in the coming days. The only thing that is certain is that the region and many other parts of Germany are urgently hoping for rain to ease the situation.