Cologne attacks the heat: water lever brings fresh cooling!

Cologne attacks the heat: water lever brings fresh cooling!

The summer of 2025 not only brings sun rays in Cologne, but also a challenge: the number of hot days and tropical nights increases. Especially in the city centers there is a so -called heat island effect, in which certain areas of up to 10 degrees Celsius heat more than their rural surroundings. This development affects not only the environment, but also the well -being of the citizens. In order to counteract this, the city of Cologne and RheinEnergie launched the “Cooling Cologne” project, which in an innovative way ensures cooling.

As part of this project, special hoses were installed that exude the fine water lever. This technology has already proven itself on Heinrich-Böll-Platz three years ago and was now tried out as part of a test run on July 18, 2022. The results were impressive: according to the surveys, temperatures of up to 14 degrees Celsius could be reduced, which was very well received by passers -by. Around 90 percent wanted to repeat this measure.

water lever as cooling tool

The new fog of shit should be activated with heat warnings from the German Weather Service, especially on days. This measure is not only a stylish, but also an effective means of heat reduction. The “Heat Action Plan of the City of Cologne” aims to significantly improve the quality of life in urban space and to protect particularly endangered people. The city relies on a responsible handling of the drinking water resources: fog production needs about 16 cubic meters of water per hour - it should be taken into account that on hot days the water consumption in all of Cologne can rise to over 300,000 cubic meters.

However, the implementation of such systems is only part of the solution. What Cologne also needs very urgently are long -term measures to reduce urban heat island effect. The UHI effect, which is reinforced by the presence of asphalt, concrete and glass, leads to urban areas, especially on the summer nights, are more often affected by tropical nights. This tendency is expected to exacerbate climate change.

long -term strategies

The city of Cologne therefore also plans to create other initiatives to create cool rooms in heavily loaded areas. In addition to the use of water -leaf technology, green solutions such as planting road trees and creating more green areas on the agenda are also. Such measures could contribute significantly to improve the microclimate, because old trees lower the air temperature by up to 5 degrees Celsius and save CO2, which is of enormous importance for the city climate.

The Cologne population is called up to become active: irrigation of trees, conscious ventilation in cool hours and environmentally friendly locomotion are simple but effective contributions to make the summer months more pleasant. With a good hand and joint effort, Cologne can work to continue to offer a pleasant living environment in the future, despite the challenges that climate change brings.

For more information about the heat action plans and current developments, the city of Cologne can be called up at this link . The technical details on the "Cooling Cologne" project can be read on Radio, while comprehensive background information on the heat island on National Geographic