Since the flood disaster, wastewater has been flowing untreated and untreated into the Ahr. All sewage treatment plants in the Ahr valley were affected and damaged by the floods, said a spokesman for the North Structure and Approval Directorate in Koblenz. Experts are currently discussing with the sewage works whether and how systems can be put back into operation. The first aim is to achieve at least a thorough mechanical cleaning.
“The focus on site is currently on epidemic protection,” said the spokesman. For example, it must be guaranteed that there is “a receiving water” as far as the Ahr. In concrete terms, this means that the sewage, including faeces, must be discharged from the localities. As long as the sewage systems are not repaired, at least temporarily, sewage will continue to flow untreated into the Ahr.
It is not yet possible to say how polluted the Ahr is at the moment, the spokesman said. With the flood wave, pollutants also got into the Ahr. Therefore, state authorities advise against contact with Ahr water, unless this is absolutely necessary for reasons of clean-up work. Precautions and protective measures such as wearing gloves and waterproof clothing should be observed.
“It is of course very likely that fuel, chemicals, intestinal and coli bacteria as well as toxins have flowed into the Ahr,” said the spokesman for the Koblenz authority. A measurement program for monitoring the Ahr will probably start next week at least at the measurement points that are already accessible.
The water quality of the Rhine into which the Ahr flows is also routinely monitored. “To the best of our knowledge, however, no noteworthy abnormalities have been reported so far.” For the Rhine measuring station in Bad Honnef, for example, it was reported that no abnormalities had so far occurred that could be attributed to the failure of the Sinzig sewage treatment plant or to larger inputs of substances hazardous to water. (07/31/2021)
Greens are calling for a special session in the Bundestag
The Greens supported the FDP’s call for a special session of the Bundestag on the flood disaster. “We are also working to ensure that parliament comes together for a special session of the Bundestag on the effects of the flood disaster,” said the parliamentary manager of the Greens, Britta Hasselmann, the Editorial network Germany.
After the first damage assessments and the acute emergency aid, a decision must now be taken in the Bundestag on a reconstruction fund for the people and regions affected. In addition, concrete measures for climate protection and climate protection must also be discussed, said Hasselmann. A third of the members of the Bundestag must vote for a special session to be called. The Greens and the FDP therefore need other parliamentary groups to support their cause. (07/31/2021)
Dreyer: 135 dead in Rhineland-Palatinate
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the area affected by the flood disaster extends over more than 50 kilometers, according to Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD). Residents and helpers did “superhuman” efforts in coping with the flood damage, Dreyer said on Friday in Ahrweiler. Even around two weeks after the flood disaster, it is still a matter of clearing up rubble and laying the foundations for rebuilding the regions every day.
Many people are exhausted after weeks of physical work and enormous psychological stress. The Prime Minister assured: “We will not leave the people in the disaster area alone.” Dreyer emphasized: “The dead are not forgotten.” According to information from Friday, the number of deaths in Rhineland-Palatinate rose to 135. 59 people are still missing. (07/30/2021)
Deficiencies in basic health care
Two weeks after the devastating floods in Rhineland-Palatinate, medical officers have criticized significant shortcomings in basic medical care in the flood areas. The situation is “still frightening” and there is a risk of epidemics in the affected regions, said the chairwoman of the Federal Association of Doctors of the Public Health Service, Ute Teichert, the newspapers of the Funke media group.
The health of the population in the disaster areas is “massively threatened because the infrastructure is not working”. Among other things, hospitals and practices were destroyed in some places. Teichert, who headed the health department in the flood-affected district of Ahrweiler until 2012, explained that many people would have to get by without urgently needed medication. This is a big problem, especially for people with diseases such as diabetes or heart disease, the newspaper report said. Now it is important to organize mobile medical units and bring them to the towns. (29.07.2021)
Federal government condemns disinformation disinformation
The federal government accused so-called lateral thinker groups of deliberate disinformation in the flood disaster and condemned this sharply. Deputy government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said that it was “particularly vile and reprehensible” how people who are thought to be unconventional thinkers contribute to the uncertainty of flood victims.
It is good that the local police have reacted very quickly and that there is widespread media coverage of the cases. The disinformation and misinformation also undermine trust in the volunteers. Among other things, false calls for donations were circulating on social media channels. In the past few days there had been reports that helpers from the Technical Relief Organization (THW) had also been attacked.
“An instrumentalization of this terrible event, the counteracting of directly important aid and the exploitation of the tense situation of the local people, combined with attempts at mobilization, can be clearly seen here,” said Demmer with a view to the flood areas as a whole. She didn’t give any details. The corona pandemic already showed how so-called Reich citizens and self-administrators, conspiracy supporters and right-wing extremists tried to divide society under the guise of freedom of demonstration and expression and legitimate criticism of government measures.
Demmer also thanked for the global expressions of condolences in the flood disaster and for numerous offers of help from abroad. A fire brigade team from Poland helped with 150 drying devices. “This is a very nice sign for German-Polish relations.”
Interior Minister Reul: No more missing people in NRW
Two weeks after the flood disaster, no more people are missing in the affected areas of North Rhine-Westphalia. Interior Minister Herbert Reul said on Wednesday in the state parliament interior committee. In the “largest flood disaster in the history of our country” 47 people were killed, four of them were fire fighters.
According to previous knowledge, 23 people were probably hit by the water masses on the street and torn to their death, as the CDU politician reported at the special meeting in Düsseldorf. 23 people were found lifeless from their living rooms or basements. In one case, the cause of death has not yet been clarified. Reul said experts assumed “at least” a storm of a century. Up to 23,000 workers from the fire brigade, aid organizations, technical relief organization and crisis teams were in action.
During the clean-up work, there were several crimes, said Reul. So far 65 cases of theft and 31 cases of particularly serious theft as well as twelve cases of fraud have become known. In many cases, emergency services were hindered by onlookers, and more than 4,300 dismissals were issued here.
According to the police, at least 133 people were killed in neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, 73 people are still missing in the Ahr valley. (07/28/2021)