The fire brigade watered the hillside of the fortress in Koblenz for the “Rhein in Flammen” fireworks display. This is met with criticism in view of the dried-up Rhine and the high risk of forest fires.
The Rhine is dry: the images of the extremely low water shock even veterans of inland navigation. In places, the Rhine is not even a meter deep, which is why transport ships can no longer pass. The effects on companies and consumers are already being felt.
In Koblenz, on the other hand, the water shortage does not seem to have arrived yet: while the Rhine residents are encouraged to save water, the fire brigade waters the fortress slope for the large firework display “Rhine in Flames”. Although the water level is particularly low in Koblenz, the organizers have decided not to cancel the fireworks. According to the organizer, the high risk of forest fires is manageable.
Now save articles for later in “Pocket”.
The outcry on Twitter is all the greater: slopes are irrigated with water supplies for a fireworks display on a dry river, with CO2 also being produced – all to the “Earth Song”. A song about the human destruction of the earth. Many Twitter users are upset.
Kathrin Henneberger, member of the Greens in the Bundestag, writes on Twitter: “Well, that’s very symbolic of everything that’s going wrong right now. Instead of simply canceling the fireworks and saving the water… the slope is simply watered and the banging continues as if nothing were happening”. Twitter user Katharina Talanow is just as upset: “How negligent and grotesque in the midst of this drought summer and along the dried-up Rhine events like
The focus of the debate is the Koblenz fire brigade, which posted a picture of the irrigation with the hashtag on Saturday
Already on Wednesday, the Greens in Koblenz, out of concern about forest fires, called for alternatives to the fireworks – for example a laser and drone show. According to the Greens, the joy that the summer festival in Koblenz and the Middle Rhine Valley could take place again after the corona break is significantly clouded by the high risk of forest and bush fires. The Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of the Environment, Kathrin Eder, also told SWR that she is currently critical of fireworks because of the acute risk of forest fires.
At one of the last events, the bushes below Ehrenbreitstein Fortress caught fire: “We can only hope that nothing bad will happen this year and that an alternative will finally be found next year,” said Green politician Christina Reeka.
Those responsible for the event commented on the criticism on Thursday: “The framework conditions have been changed in such a way that the authorities believe that a large part of the fireworks can be carried out responsibly.” The fire brigade considered the risk that the fireworks could cause fires manageable, the organizers said.No fires in connection with the fireworks were reported last night.
Koblenz Mayor David Langner writes on Instagram: “We need new ideas: drones, alternatives, climate protection. But we are already paying attention to that today!”
The low Rhine water level and the lack of rain are becoming more and more of a problem: the effects are evident from inland shipping to agriculture and coal-fired power plants. The reason for the low water levels on the Rhine is the drought: it has hardly rained for weeks, causing entire riparian zones to dry out.
The situation is expected to deteriorate further in the coming decades: “Low water discharges at many important Rhine gauges, such as the Kaub gauge, could systematically decrease by 20 percent towards the end of the 21st century and the duration of low water increase. Decreasing and ultimately non-existent discharges from the melting Alpine glaciers also have an impact,” says Jörg Belz, deputy head of the hydrometry and water assessment department at the BfG on GEO.
