A sharp decline in water reserves has been recorded in Germany

Germany's water supplies have fallen sharply - in June the country was 25 billion tonnes short of the previous years' average - and with a hot, dry summer now the situation is likely to get worse. Bild writes about this with reference to data from experts at the Helmholtz Georesearch Center (GFZ) who are concerned about the dynamics.

The researchers, who used data from two GRACE Follow-On mission satellites measuring water above and below ground, found that Germany has experienced increasingly dry periods since 2015, with particularly worrying conditions in groundwater, the decline of which accounts for much of the long-term loss of supplies.

It is noted that in 2024 the situation improved briefly due to heavy rains, but then the situation began to deteriorate sharply again and last summer brought the strongest reduction in the indicator since satellite measurements began.

The situation with water supplies in the south and east of the country is especially serious, scientists point out.