Water is the essential element that connects us all – both as human beings and lovers of aquatic sports, and we want to take active part in protecting it as a precious life source. Today we asked Andreas Fath, professor in the Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences at Furtwangen University, water protection expert, open water swimmer and arena ambassador, for some tips on how we can take care of water and make a difference in everyday life.
What is the current state of water health in Europe?
“In general we can say that our water in Europe, especially in rivers, is no longer in intensive care as it was in the 80‘s, but it‘s still a patient. Droughts and water shortage, as well as high nitrate concentrations, antibiotic concentrations and increasing PFAS concentrations in ground waters, are the challenges of our time. The lack of water in rivers leads to higher concentrations of pollutants being released into our waste water. We need a radical change from centralised wastewater treatment to decentralised treatment. In other words, not treatment at the end of the pipe, but at the beginning of the pipe, involving all our institutions, industries, hospitals, nursing homes and even private households.”
What can we do to protect the water?
“Just…
