Germany: stop saving water, waste it, say health authorities

king

I have found an interesting article and want to share with you.

Environment-friendly Germans are so good at not wasting drinking water that health authorities have issued a nationwide plea for them to start wasting water - to keep water-supply systems from becoming stagnant. Water supply systems, designed for a constant supply of 220 litres per capita per day (lcd), now have to be flushed regularly to keep them bacteria free as demand has dropped in some cases to as little as 80 lpd. "That means all the water the homeowners are saving ends up going down the sewers anyway," says Ulrich Schardt, head of the Nordhauser city water works. Moreover, the extra costs involved have raised water bills despite falling water consumption.

One of the reasons for low consumption is the Germans’ aversion for drinking tap water. "It all comes down to the fact that Germans just conserve too much water," Schardt says. "It would do us all a lot of good, and help keep the waterworks functioning efficiently, if everybody would just open the tap and pour themselves a nice glass of good clean water."

Related news: Germany: saving water not worth while, water industry association, Source, 17 May 2005

Source from:http://www.irc.nl/page/24612

About IRC:Since its foundation in 1968, the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) has facilitated the sharing, promotion and use of knowledge so that governments, professionals and organisations can better support poor men, women and children in developing countries to obtain water and sanitation services they will use and maintain.

liyi

This  news  is  really  interesting

青溪

Keep balance!

honglake

but everything has a limite

strawberry

Totally agree with Honglake.

This thread seemed to be rather old, though it's still an interesting discussion. Germany, esp. southern Germany, abounds in rich water resource. In spite of the fact, few people would really \"waste\" their water. As one of the oldest developed European countries, Germany has a firm grip on their environmental issues. The phenomenon of water abuse is rarely seen in Germany, which also indicates a high level of their environmental education.

The bottom line of water use is drawn in their innermost feelings and it's kept clear from generation to generation. Even an old granny had said to me, \"our water is the best, but we have to use it wisely.\" That's what China shall learn from them.

The above cited news just specifies another problem, which is aroused indirectly from their rich water resource.

The day when China's media could produce such a piece of joke, would be the day of success for China in environmental issues.

Surely, it sounds quite funny. The following thread is about their \"water torture\" in spring.

http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19282