Witzenhausen in the water crisis: How to save our drinking water!

Witzenhausen in the water crisis: How to save our drinking water!

In Witzenhausen, the coming days are mainly under the sign of dryness. High temperatures are expected at the weekend, which causes the municipal utilities to call up the citizens to handle drinking water carefully. They are not ordinary times: the water supply in the reservoirs is more tense than some people love.

The managing director of Stadtwerke, Torsten Hofmann, points out that the water supply depends significantly on the rainfall in winter and spring months. However, the weather situation this year offers little reason to relax. Already in March 2024, almost 80% less precipitation fell in Hesse than in the long -term average, and the situation has not improved since then. Similar warnings were also pronounced in other Hessian counties, which underlines the urgency of the topic.

recommendations for action for the population

The municipal utilities have made some clear recommendations to avoid a lack of water: garden and grassland irrigation with drinking water should be reduced or avoided as possible. Filling pools and cisterns is currently not advisable. It is also advisable to do without the cleaning of buildings, streets or vehicles with drinking water. Larger amounts of drinking water should always be coordinated with the municipal utilities.

The elevated tanks in Witzenhausen no longer reached the usual filling height at the beginning of July, and Mayor Lukas Sittel emphasizes the need for a amount of buffer for emergencies. Dür ReperaDen are not an unknown phenomenon in Germany. In recent years, the records for hot days have been continuously broken, and the ten warmest years since 1994 have all been in this period.

The causes of drought

But what is behind this development? The German Weather Service reported in the spring of 2025 from the driest time in Germany since 1931, with March in particular noticeable with only 21% of normal precipitation. The rainfall in May too was severely undercut. Dryness not only affects the water supply, it also has far -reaching consequences for agriculture and ecosystems.

The climate crisis contributes to this because the groundwater level has dropped noticeably in the past two decades. Germany loses around 2.5 cubic kilometers of fresh water every year. A proof of the seriousness of the situation, as an investigation by the Global Institute for Water Security shows. Although there is no nationwide lack of water, the regional unequal distribution leads to local bottlenecks. This problem affects the northern and northeastern federal states, where the rainfall in March decreased.

outlook and adaptation strategies

In order to improve the situation in the long term, measures to adapt to dryness are currently being worked on at the political level. The use of new technologies for water -saving management as well as reforestation and renaturation of wetlands are on the agenda. The national water strategy, which was decided in 2023, is intended to ensure sustainable use of this valuable resource.

The citizens in Witzenhausen are therefore called to consciously question their water behavior and actively participate in the solution to the problem. The careful handling of drinking water is more important than ever in the summer of 2025. Stadtwerke will continue to inform the public about the current situation and hope for an improvement in the situation in the coming weeks.

summarized the location in Witzenhausen and also a reflection of the challenges that the climate crisis brings - it is up to us to counteract responsibly.

For further information, citizens can report the reports of the Stadtwerke Witzenhausen and the comprehensive analyzes of the Environmental Agency href = "https://www.zdfheute.de/panorama/klima-wasser-knappheit-deutschland-100.html" Target = "_ blank"> ZDF consult.