Water Management

Water is a scarce and precious resource; only a small percentage of the world’s water is actually suitable as drinking water. Today, more and more conflicts surrounding the use of water arise as a result of climate changes and varying interests. Part of the world’s population doesn’t have secure access to clean drinking water. Today, large volumes of water are used for the cultivation of agricultural products and the production of goods. In this case, one refers to virtual water.

In the Upper Rhine Valley, special importance is placed on the responsible use of water as a resource, as well as the use of new and innovative technologies. Cities like Basel and Karlsruhe are located in the Rheinaue forests and draw ground water from deep wells, and their waterworks take water from the Rhine River and make it into drinking water through natural purification processes. Increasing soil sealing and climate change can increase the risk of floods, which leads urban areas to use prevention efforts like large green roofs, tanks, and planted soil filters covered with reeds. In the frame of a unique Integrated Rhine Program, large, natural retention bases have been built along the Rhine River in the middle reaches of our  region, so that cities such as Cologne and Rotterdam won’t be flooded in high water.