Greeny News

Germans are far ahead of the British when it comes to saving water in the country. But politicians to avoid the big problem: the agricultural use

While Britain frets of drought, Germany can not get enough to save water. The Germans are good at conserving water, so good, in fact, they created a problem for your piping system: many tubes are clogged with grease, feces and food waste, because they are rinsed with water. Especially in summer, the channels in the German cities can smell horrible. In some parts of the country, water providers, even to clean their pipes artificially with hundreds of thousands of liters of water.

We Germans have always had at heart to be the best in class when it comes to saving water. Our services have a special button wash water savings after having a wee, turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, we try not to splash too much when we wash our cars. Last year, Germany, are used only 124 liters per head per day - against 144 liters in 1991. In Britain the current figure is 150 liters.

This can be very impressive by Germany, Britain and embarrass. But the real question is whether the little things like that really make a difference. Finally, the few that allows you to keep when he drinks, baking dishes, laundry and washing are of little importance.

course you can discuss the details here - there are always little greener alternatives. But you can not argue much with the water footprint shows how to call this neglect we treat the most valuable resources of the Earth. On average, each person on this planet is responsible for about 1.4 million liters of incredible water use per year: it's 8600 with a bath of 160 liters of water each. Ninety percent of this is used in agriculture where there is adequate water conservation is to occur. But apparently, politicians do not care to do something about it, whether in London, Berlin or Brussels.

It may well be drought warnings more frequent in the future. National governments must find ways to solve the problem. The first step should be a fight with farmers, industry and pressure groups, not just those from your door.

And there are many proposals on the table that politicians should keep in mind: either a tax on water, so that those who use the river to cool its plants will have to cough, use farm subsidies as a reward for water limits the use of water or attention throughout the industry. Instead, the environment secretary Caroline Spelman seems to be focused on ordinary people say they have fewer bathrooms.