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For World Water Day 2026, the RhönEnergie Group is calling for people to save water. Garden irrigation and pools are a particular focus. On hot days the situation could become critical.
Fulda – In many regions this would have to be the case “Water lights” have long been permanently set to yellow – even red on hot days. With this urgent assessment, the RhönEnergie Group is making it clear on World Water Day on Sunday (March 22nd) how tense the situation with drinking water supplies has become. While water was long taken for granted, recent years have shown, according to a statement from the RhönEnergie Group, that climate change is also making the resource noticeably scarcer in East Hesse.
RhönEnergie calls for conscious use of drinking water
Falling amounts of precipitation in the winter months have led to less groundwater recharge for years, while at the same time higher temperatures have increased both water demand and evaporation. “We are observing that the situation is continually getting worse: the groundwater levels remain low, springs carry less water, and the levels fall earlier and earlier in the summer,” explains Matthias Hahner, Managing Director of OsthessenNetz GmbH, which is responsible for water supply within the RhönEnergie Group. Heavy rain events could not compensate for this development, as the water usually flows off the surface and does not penetrate deeper layers of the soil, as Hahner further explains.
According to its own information, the RhönEnergie Group supplies around 82,000 people in Fulda as well as in Eichenzell and Ebersburg with drinking water from 30 deep wells and several sources. In order to secure long-term supply, the company is relying on a package of measures. This includes the continuous optimization of well and spring management and targeted advice to larger customers on how to use water more efficiently.
According to the announcement, innovative approaches to conserving resources are also used: For example, water from the Ziehers sports pool is used to irrigate urban green spaces in Fuldatreated flushing water from the waterworks is used, among other things, by the fire department. According to the company, the pipe network extends over around 870 kilometers in total and around five million cubic meters of drinking water is provided every year.
Politicians and citizens asked: Drinking water supply as a joint task
In parallel to the technical and organizational measures, the RhönEnergie Group is making a clear appeal to the population. It is said that a conscious and economical use of drinking water is more important than ever. Specifically, it is recommended to limit garden irrigation to what is necessary, to avoid filling pools if possible, to generally use drinking water sparingly in the household and – wherever possible – to use rainwater. “Drinking water is our most important food – and not an unlimited resource,” emphasizes Martin Heun, spokesman for the management of RhönEnergie Fulda. “Every liter saved helps to ensure supplies in the future.”
According to the company's assessment, securing the drinking water supply is a joint task. In addition to suppliers and politicians, municipalities and citizens are also in demand. Measures such as the renaturation of water bodies, the planting of trees and hedges, the creation of infiltration areas, sustainable urban planning with more greenery and less sealing, and the preservation of healthy soil make a decisive contribution to retaining water in the landscape and strengthening groundwater reserves. (som)
