Pollution of our water resources and the climate crisis

News

Cities need to prepare for heat and heavy rain more effectively: Environmental geoscientist Thilo Hofmann argues for replacing the gray infrastructure of our cities with a blue-green infrastructure as quickly as possible. Only with such an infrastructure, which is designed to collect and absorb large volumes of water, can they adequately cope with the changing conditions caused by climate change and thus also prevent rivers, lakes and seas from increasing pollution. Many cities, including Vienna, are still acting too slowly in this regard, Hofmann emphasizes.
Changes in precipitation patterns, due to rising mean global surface temperatures, cause stronger extreme rainfall events and more of them. Modern sewage treatment plants are designed for a continuous operation and are vulnerable to these extreme rainfall events. During these events, the mixture of waste water and rainwater may temporarily bypass the treatment plants as “Combined Sewer Overflow”, releasing pollutants such as drug-resistant pathogens. Underground rainwater collection tanks, employed as a counter-measure in cities such as Vienna, Hamburg and Berlin, are insufficient to handle future loads. Instead, city planners need to incorporate modern concepts to divert rainwater from the sewage system through open spaces for infiltration. In a guest article for uni:view magazine, Thilo Hofmann explains the causes, effects and solutions to the pollution of our water resources.