When Even the Water Has to Save – Berlin Halts New Drinking Fountains in the Height of Summer

It is a summer that burns – literally. While meteorologists are forecasting temperatures beyond 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the coming weeks and health experts are urgently recommending regular hydration, Berlin has announced a measure that borders on the absurd: for budgetary reasons, the expansion of public drinking fountains has been halted. No new water dispensers, no additional access points in parks, squares, or public hotspots. Instead: retrofitting existing units so that the water no longer flows freely, but only comes out when activated by a button – a symbol of a policy that is drying itself out in the summer heat.

Berlin’s water utility currently operates 242 active drinking fountains, with 12 others out of service – some due to construction, others due to vandalism. The network was actually supposed to expand. But the state of Berlin has cut the funding as part of broader austerity measures. The result: not a single new fountain will be installed, even though the capital – with around 1.3 cubic meters of water per fountain per day – ranks among the national leaders. Cities like Hanover, Kassel, or Essen are now regulating their fountains with timers – but a complete stop to new installations, as Berlin is now enforcing, is unique. The financial burden would be modest: a new fountain costs between 12,000 and 15,000 euros to install, plus a few thousand annually for maintenance and lab testing. But in the hierarchy of political priorities, heat protection clearly ranks low. The decision was made by the state parliament. The far-right AfD was not formally involved – but no one from the other parties stepped forward to preserve the funding either.

And the measure is not only shortsighted – it is potentially dangerous. Public access to clean water is more than a comfort feature. It is – especially for vulnerable groups like the elderly, unhoused people, or children – a matter of health and survival. In times when the body dehydrates faster due to extreme heat, the availability of safe drinking water becomes a question of life quality and life preservation. If fountains are suddenly shut off or restricted to minimal use, it hits those hardest who already have the least. And so, a symbol of the common good becomes a mirror of neglect. A city that prides itself internationally on being water-friendly and sustainable is putting its credibility at risk with the stroke of a pen – and sends a dangerous message: in Berlin, even water no longer flows freely.