Corona increases water consumption in southern Hesse

• ofPeter Hanack

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The demand in southern Hesse remains high as a result of dry weather. And Corona brings new confusion.

The people in southern Hesse used less water in 2019 than in the previous year. Overall, the consumption was just under 241 million cubic meters, in 2018 it was 245 million. This is what the Darmstadt Regional Council reported.

2018 was an extremely dry year, so much water was needed, among other things, to irrigate plants. In 2019 it still rained little, but a little more than in the previous twelve months. On average, the people of southern Hesse used around 127 liters of drinking water per person per day – that is two liters less than in 2018.

While only 123 liters were required per inhabitant in the ten rural districts in southern Hesse, it was 137 liters in the independent cities. However, the comparatively high per capita consumption in the cities can be explained, among other things, by the fact that commuters, students, hotel guests and other visitors also use water there, which is not included in the population.

2020 was again a dry year and in terms of weather comparable to 2019. However, the corona pandemic is now playing a major role. The virus has also messed up a lot of water consumption. According to the regional council, the lockdowns and contact restrictions had a significant impact on commuter flows and leisure behavior in particular. As a result, unusually high consumption figures were measured at times, especially in the residential areas in the vicinity of the large cities. The final figures are not yet available.

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