Hydrologist and drought expert Andreas Marx of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig is calling for comprehensive monitoring of groundwater and surface water use. In light of dry soils and low groundwater levels, the researcher believes that “we in Germany should finally have a system in place to monitor who is withdrawing how much water from the ground—from groundwater as well as surface waters—and when.”
Marx heads the German Drought Monitor, a map of Germany updated daily with data and model calculations on soil moisture conditions. “The situation is that in most regions of Germany—and even among most industrial companies that hold water rights—we don’t know exactly how much water they are extracting or when,” explains the hydrologist. In the past, he notes, this simply was never necessary. However, the federal government had already identified this as one of its guiding principles in its national water strategy in 2023.
