Logo Die Sachsen News
News / Economy

Association urges protection of water resources in Saxony

Association urges protection of water resources in Saxony
The Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation in Saxony has called for the protection of water resources. (Symbolic photo) / Photo: Robert Michael/dpa
From: DieSachsen News
Water is a precious commodity. In times of climate change, Germany is also facing a water problem and must take precautions.

The German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) continues to call for better protection of water bodies. "The pressure to act has been visible in Saxony for years. Only around seven percent of watercourses in Saxony are in good ecological condition," explained BUND in Leipzig. At the same time, the implementation of the Water Framework Directive repeatedly fails due to the same hurdles: a lack of land, too few staff, limited municipal scope and insufficient funding.

"Water resilience is much more than an environmental issue for Saxony. It determines how well we can adapt to droughts, floods and conflicts of use, how sustainable our municipalities are and how attractive Saxony remains as a place to live and work," explained Felix Ekardt, head of BUND. Investing in healthy water bodies and strong structures now not only protects nature, but also strengthens prevention, planning security and regional development.

More from this category

Investment requirement of around 1.6 billion euros within ten years

BUND pointed out that the Free State of Saxony itself has identified a need for action and described an investment requirement of around 1.6 billion euros for the next ten years in the "Future Water for Saxony" program. "Concrete political decisions and reliable structures are now needed so that the existing potential can actually be used."

From BUND Saxony's point of view, two steps in particular are necessary to achieve this. Firstly, the Free State must secure water and water protection in the next double budget in such a way that water development, renaturation, land protection and municipal implementation can be permanently financed.

Furthermore, strong associations are needed for near-natural watercourse development. Many local authorities are not adequately equipped in terms of personnel and funding for the tasks on their watercourses, it said. Maintenance associations could ensure long-term expertise and implementation on site. This requires either reliable financial support from the state or changes to the Saxon Water Act so that municipalities can levy contributions for watercourse measures and create a basis for funding.

Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved

The translations are automated with the help of AI. We look forward to your feedback and your help in improving our multilingual service. Write to us at: language@diesachsen.com.
Sachsen News
Article from

Sachsen News

Sachsen News is responsible for the content itself. The platform's code of conduct applies. The platform checks and treats content in accordance with the legal requirements, in particular the NetzDG.

Social Media