Action plan for future heat waves - "We are increasingly reaching our capacity limits"

Created: 08/18/2022, 7:00 p.m

By: Stefanie Zipfer

The Rettenbach near Vierkirchen is also urgently waiting for precipitation.

The district fishing advisory service came to the "emergency operation".

© Gunter Schoen

The heat and drought of the past few weeks have put a strain on people, animals and nature.

A working group from the Dachau district is now to draw up an action plan for future heat waves.

Dachau – The summer of 2003 – only a few will remember it – was extremely hot and extremely dry.

An exceptional summer, that was the assumption at the time.

But extreme summers like the one in 2003 came back faster than some would have liked.

Also in the years 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2022 it rained very little, and the temperatures were often far above 30 degrees for days.

This is an enormous burden for people, animals, bodies of water and plants.

Heat summer in Germany: Danger for humans, environment and animals

In view of the health risks for the population and the fact that climate change will make such dry summers the rule rather than the exception, the Dachau health department has now considered how the district population could be protected against these hot summers in the long term.

A working group consisting of representatives from the health department, climate management, climate protection, urban development, outpatient and inpatient care, daycare centers and the health region plus wants to meet for the first time in autumn to work out a heat action plan for upcoming heat waves.

Awareness campaign: Working group draws up action plan for heat waves

According to District Administrator Stefan Löwl, the goal is an "attention campaign".

Because one thing is clear: in healthy people, heat can lead to exhaustion and reduced performance;

in the case of the elderly, people with disabilities or illnesses, their need for help and social isolation can have far worse consequences and lead to measures such as drinking enough and cooling the interior being neglected.

The focus, according to Löwl, "is clearly on people".

Questions such as "What challenges does the heat pose to emergency services, daycare centers or retirement homes?" are to be answered and coordinated in this action plan.

So far, people have been neglected when it comes to climate change and its consequences: "Agriculture, urban planning or forest conversion have been topics for a long time," says the district administrator.

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There are many “very individual areas, many organizational, structural, strategic and long-term questions” that have to be addressed here.

How important is monument protection?

What is the priority in the future?

District Administrator Stefan Löwl

Example: It is well known that trees are good for the urban climate.

In Dachau, in front of the St. Jakob church, however, the planting of trees that provide shade is forbidden: “The protection of the ensemble trumps climate protection.” The legislator, according to Löwl, should therefore ask itself: “How important is the protection of monuments?

What has priority in the future?”

Some streams have already dried up

However, until these questions are clarified, a lot of water is likely to flow down the Amper - with the waters in the Dachau district in particular currently being in a critical situation, as the government of Upper Bavaria recently announced.

Individual streams have already “partially dried up”, including the upper Ilm near Pipinsried and the Rettenbach near Vierkirchen.

According to the district fishing advisor Dr.

Bernhard Gum as valuable river mussel water;

his team therefore tried in an emergency action to save as many creatures as possible from the overheated, low-oxygen and drying waters.

The Ilm near Pipinsried has dried up.

The rare and protected river mussels did not survive the past few weeks of heat.

© Gunter Schoen

Historical lows in groundwater

The situation of the so-called near-surface groundwater is also not good in the district at the moment, on the contrary: "We have historic lows," said District Administrator Löwl.

Although the levels at this time of year are always in the "very low" range, they are currently well below these values ​​in some places.

expert dr

Gum therefore advises communities, those authorized to fish or stream managers who are currently worried about their waters to contact the district's specialist advice as soon as possible.

We are increasingly reaching our capacity limits.

Expert Bernhard Gum

"Wherever possible and we are informed in good time, we try together with the fishing associations and other institutions that are able to recover the fish and resettle them in suitable waters.

Many fishing clubs and nature conservation associations are already working with the responsible authorities in a highly committed manner, and the best possible help is often provided with the support of the local fire brigade.”

However, if it doesn't rain consistently soon, this could be difficult.

Because, according to Gum: "We are increasingly reaching our capacity limits."

By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Dachau newsletter.

You can find more current news from the district of Dachau at Merkur.de/Dachau.