Saxon Environment Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) sees water management as a priority task for the Free State. "Water is a mega issue for Saxony and a focus beyond this legislature. Man-made climate change is causing an increase in weather extremes, the alternation between long periods of drought and heavy rainfall and flooding. This is increasing. And we are seeing that again right now," Günther told the German Press Agency in Dresden.
Saxony is in a very good position compared to other states when it comes to dealing with floods. "This is of course a result of the painful floods since 2002, but there is no such thing as absolute security. Flood protection is an ongoing task."
According to Günther, lignite mining has severely disturbed the water balance. "We have to repair that. This is also a generational task that we are fundamentally tackling now that we are in the middle of the coal phase-out. At the same time, water quality is a major issue. "Only around seven percent of our watercourses in Saxony are in good ecological condition. That is alarmingly low. That's why we are renaturalizing rivers and streams up and down the country. If we fail to do so, we will not only have an ecological problem, but we will also face high fines from the EU after 2027."
