Germany is a water-rich country, but weeks of high temperatures and scant rainfall in recent years have drained the water levels of the Rhine river, the country's commercial artery, and hit farmers' crops in many parts of the country.
In a first-ever national water strategy, Berlin aims to set up and protect water reservoirs in forests, floodplains, towns and villages. The strategy, with goals to be concluded up to 2050, includes restoring forests and green spaces, and developing guidelines to regulate water distribution in case of regional shortages, through categorizing water consumers in rankings.
Local and federal governments should be able to keep an overview on where and how much water is available in the country through a new registry system, the 120-page strategy showed.