Heat: Violating the watering ban can cost owners up to 50,000 euros
Countries and municipalities are restricting garden irrigation due to persistent drought. What this means for homeowners - and what measures would still make sense.
Due to the warm and dry summer, many plants are withering in German gardens, and some trees are already showing brown leaves. In response, some local authorities have banned water extraction from rivers and streams, with the Cologne district government imposing a ban until the end of September, with fines of up to €50,000 for violations.
The ban is based on the Water Resources Management Act, which allows local authorities to restrict water usage to promote sustainable management of water resources. Meanwhile, Germany has experienced low rainfall, with July seeing an average of 43.7mm of precipitation, roughly half the 1991-2020 average, and the Rhine river has reached new low levels, affecting industry and agriculture.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
