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English Garden in Munich
Photo: Wolfgang Maria Weber / IMAGO
The federal government wants to start building more drinking water fountains in the cities.
Drinking water from the mains must in future be freely available in as many public places as possible, the Federal Environment Ministry said after a corresponding cabinet decision on Wednesday.
"In the future, extreme weather events such as heat waves and dry spells will be more frequent and more intense," said Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens).
»Drinking fountains with tap water are one of the basic building blocks of good heat prevention.«
In a first step, about a thousand more should be added to the 1,300 or so that already exist.
The draft law passed by the cabinet stipulates that the provision of tap water from drinking water wells is part of the public water supply as part of services of general interest.
Cities and municipalities have flexibility in terms of location, number and type of wells.
It's about squares, pedestrian zones or parks.
In most federal states there are already state regulations that assign the public water supply to the municipalities as a task of services of general interest.
The German Association of Towns and Municipalities had warned of water shortages in some regions of Germany last month.
"The problem is the drastic increase in water demand in industry, in agriculture, but also in private households," said managing director Gerd Landsberg of the "Handelsblatt".
Landsberg called for "municipal heat action plans" to protect people from health hazards.
asa/Reuters