Our blue planet consists of 29% land mass and 71% water. So there shouldn’t be any water problems – should there? However, only 3% of the available water on Earth is freshwater and thereof, only a fraction is available for consumption.

Sonja Koppitz and Max Spallek from RadioEins (RBB) talk to our groundwater expert Robert on groundwater challenges. He explores the role of groundwater for agricultural irrigation and drinking water supply in the world’s semi-arid regions such as parts of India, the USA and Southern Africa. Even Europe experiences declining water tables, especially in the Southern countries. Surprisingly, even water-rich countries like Germany suffered from water shortages in the last drought years.

How can sustainable groundwater management be ensured? Who has to be involved and how to structure the entire process? Robert sheds some light on good-practice examples and closes with remarks on the COVID-19 pandemics which led to an increase in household water consumption of about 14% in parts of Germany. In a recent study authored by Robert and colleagues they found this signal and discuss potential reasons and consequences for water suppliers.
You can listen to the interview on the RadioEins website.