German environment minister calls for water management rethink

Germany's Environment Minister Carsten Schneider has called for a reevaluation of the nation's water management practices amid the country's ongoing drought. Speaking to the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper, Schneider stated that the concept of water not being a concern for Germany has come to an end. "The days when we in Germany didn’t have to worry about water are definitively over," he noted.

The government has been grappling with record temperatures and multiple heatwaves throughout the summer, leading to unprecedented low water levels in rivers like the Rhine. This has disrupted the economy, making the transportation of essential materials nearly impossible. Schneider emphasized that for centuries, water has been drained and redirected as part of policy.

However, he argued that the current objective should be to conserve water within landscapes by restoring wetlands, rivers, and forests. To achieve this, the federal government has allocated €100 billion to states and local authorities through a special infrastructure fund. Schneider suggested that a substantial portion of these funds should be invested in water infrastructure, highlighting the urgent need for modernized systems.