Greens call for "bathing offensive" - want to cool lakes and rivers

Berlin – In light of heat waves, the Green Party in the Bundestag is calling for a "bathing offensive" for lakes and rivers in Germany. "The climate crisis is leading to more extreme weather events such as heavy rain and heat waves," said deputy parliamentary group leader Julia Verlinden to the Funke Media Group newspapers (Sunday editions). "Therefore, politicians must act to provide people with cooling during particularly hot periods, while taking environmental and nature conservation aspects into account." The Greens want to use federal funds to help municipalities in Germany improve the water quality of bathing waters and safety at bathing areas. "The near-natural preparation of suitable bathing areas in natural bodies of water can be a good complement to public swimming pools," Verlinden stated in a position paper. Many cities and municipalities have "natural bodies of water and canals that are currently not suitable or approved for bathing." Bathing in rivers, lakes, or canals can currently pose "significant safety or health risks," and bathing areas are not always easily accessible. Verlinden calls for a "federal program" to help municipalities regularly measure and test the water quality in lakes and rivers. The Green Party politician cites metropolises like Paris as models, as well as the "bathing area monitoring" program in Berlin. This "offensive" also aims to improve "as barrier-free as possible" access to bathing areas, for example for the elderly or people with disabilities. The MP said: "Heat affects us all, and nothing feels better than a refreshing dip when temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius."