The water supply in a municipality in Lower Saxony has collapsed. It's not just the high temperatures to blame.
- The municipality of Lauenau has run out of water.
- It's just not because of the heat . Private water consumption is said to have increased due to the corona pandemic .
- So strong that sometimes nothing at all flows out of the taps.
- Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus *, a map with the current number of cases in Germany and the latest corona news from Germany.
Lauenau - The water in the Lower Saxony municipality of Lauenau has run out. The high temperatures that the weather is bringing to Germany are not the main reason for the problem. During the corona pandemic *, private water consumption increased dramatically, as the mayor of the Rodenberg municipality, Georg Hudalla, explained. Even compared to other peak times, current consumption is even higher.
Corona pandemic: water is running out - in Lauenau (Lower Saxony) sometimes nothing comes out of the tap
Hudalla told the NDR that there was still enough water flowing from the local springs. “We get our water from the forest, from the Deister. Almost the normal level is played there on a regular basis, ”said the mayor .
Hudalla sees the reasons for the collapse of the water supply in the consequences of the corona pandemic *. "Otherwise people would be away in summer and now they are at home," he explained. Therefore, the drinking water storage tank can no longer fill up completely overnight. It ran to zero on Saturday lunchtime. This has led to the fact that sometimes there is no more water running at all.
Corona leads to water shortage: Lauenau (Lower Saxony) is sitting on dry land
"It can happen when people open the tap: it really does not come, " said the mayor. The local fire brigade is available to help the affected residents. The helpers at the fire station have provided containers with process water, which can be used to flush the toilet, for example. Citizens can collect the water there.
In addition, fire trucks drove through the town and distributed their water. People have to buy drinking water in the supermarket. Almost 4,000 people are affected. According to NDR, the authorities and the fire brigade have now called for drinking water to be used only when it is absolutely necessary. The Lauenauer should now restrict themselves a little. If that works, the usual drinking water supply could "work quite reliably again" in a few days, Hudalla told the public broadcaster.
In many parts of Germany it was too dry this year. The third drought in a row is looming. This affects fields and trees. (lb with dpa)
