Cologne suffers from drought: water withdrawal from streams forbidden!

Cologne suffers from drought: water withdrawal from streams forbidden!

Köln, Deutschland - Today, on June 9, 2025, the weather in Cologne is anything but inviting. Whit Monday brings many clouds and isolated showers. While there are many hopes for a change in the weather in the region, a look into the future shows that, despite the uncomfortable weather, summer temperatures will soon be expected. From Wednesday, there is a lot of sunshine, with temperatures that will climb to 20 to 25 degrees in North Rhine-Westphalia, and even up to 30 degrees in Cologne from Thursday. However, the sultry could also bring thunderstorms.

But not only the weather is a topic in Cologne, the continuing drought is also worried. Despite the last rains, the city is struggling with extremely low water levels in many streams. The waters that are in the Königsforst and Wahner Heide are particularly affected. Some streams, such as the Selbach and the Flehbach, have already been completely dry. In order to get the ecological problems under control, the city of Cologne has issued a ban on water withdrawal from all 24 open rivers, which applies and may be extended by October 31, 2023.

water shortage and ecological challenges

The situation has already accepted alarming proportions. According to the city of Cologne, the sunken water levels lead to the oxygen content in the waters and the water temperatures increase. These developments not only endanger the flora and fauna, but also the self-cleaning power of the rivers. The level of the Rhine in Cologne is currently at 1.65 meters and could drop to 1.70 meters by Friday, which is low, but not yet worrying. If the brand continues to fall and come to 1.10 meters, measures for shipping may have to be taken.

The causes of the continuing drought are complex: In the period from February to April 2025, Germany experienced the driest phase since 1931. In particular, the month of March was extremely dry with only 21 percent of the usual precipitation. May also did not bring the hoped -for rainy amounts, with only about 68 percent of the normal rainfall. There are differences in region, with the north and northeast being particularly affected. This long -lasting drought has a negative effect on agriculture because it leads to reduced plant growth and poor yields.

awareness formation and tips for saving water

The citizens are called up to handle water carefully. The Federal Environment Ministry and Local Authorities recommend creative methods for garden irrigation and comprehensive measures to improve water supply. In this context, there is no acute lack of drinking water in this country, since 70 percent of the same comes from ground and spring water. However, experts warn that further long -lasting drought could endanger the formation of groundwater, which could affect the drinking water supply in the long term.

In this uncertain time, we have two challenges in Cologne: an upcoming temperature rise and the need to deal with our water resources sustainably. The weather will spoil us with temperature tips until the weekend - but summer also allows itself to show us the seriousness of the situation?

For more information about the weather conditions in Cologne, take a look at Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and read more about the effects of dryness 24rhein . You can also find the topic of drought and its long-term consequences for Germany at