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Capricious weather conditions, climate change and constant immigration to the metropolitan region put Hamburg's supply of drinking water under increasing stress.

“In principle, we have secure groundwater resources with the best water quality.

However, drought, heat and heavy rain show that climate change has real consequences - also for us, ”said the supervisory board chairman of the municipal utility Hamburg Wasser, Michael Pollmann, on Thursday.

"Rising temperatures and population growth in Hamburg lead to increased demand for water - with simultaneous risks for groundwater recharge due to long periods of drought." This means that water is "an increasingly valuable resource that we have to handle with care" in the Hanseatic city as well.

Last year, the extensive periods of heat and drought left a clear mark on Hamburg's water balance: While the municipal utility supplied almost 120 million cubic meters of drinking water in 2020, the amount of wastewater shrank by 3.3 percent to a good 146 million cubic meters.

“This clearly shows that less rainwater has landed in the sewage treatment plant,” reported Hamburg Wasser's managing director, Ingo Hannemann.

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The corona pandemic also had a clear impact, but not on the total amount, but only on the distribution to different customer groups.

"We can see very clearly that, for example, commercial enterprises, including hotels, have used significantly less water, but private households have used significantly more, and that is roughly balanced."

With increasing consumption, a long-term trend has reversed.

50 years ago, 150 million cubic meters were used, which is significantly more.

"Nevertheless, consumption of around 120 million cubic meters shows a trend reversal that we have been observing for a number of years," said Hannemann.

"The people in our city need more water again."

In order to secure long-term supply, Hamburg Wasser intends to invest around 50 million euros in the new construction and the renovation of the wells alone over the next five years.

The company supplies around two million people in the Hamburg metropolitan region with drinking water.

Hamburg Energie, which until the end of the year was still under the umbrella of Hamburg Wasser, supplied around 127,000 customers (plus 3.3 percent) with electricity and around 27,000 customers (plus 3.8 percent) with gas in 2020.

The supplier only supplies green electricity from renewable sources and now covers 72 percent of consumption from its own production.

Hamburg Energie is to be merged with the municipal utility Wärme Hamburg on January 1, 2022.

The name of the new company is still open.