It is high time that the mayor showed up and helped the people of Schwabing who were plagued by groundwater. After all, what are the democratic resolutions of the state parliament worth if the city does not implement them?
Does he come or does he not come? We are talking about Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD). Will he follow the invitation of the Bavarian state parliament to Schwabing this Tuesday – even if the city of Munich is at least represented by officials at the on-site visit on Genter Straße? Will he come personally to face the residents whose basements or garages have been under water for two years? They are all fighting against the groundwater, which has risen since June 2020, against moisture, mold and stench. And for the preservation of their houses. Month for month.
It’s high time the mayor came. That he not only writes letters, but also gets an idea of the situation himself. If you see with your own eyes, you might see more.
Increased groundwater is not flooding. It doesn’t just disappear, it stays. It’s a constant threat. For the houses whose walls cannot withstand the water forever. For the residents who are afraid that they could never have dry basements again. And that their health suffers as a result.
What else has to happen? How many expert opinions are weighed against each other? Experts agree that groundwater is generally falling in the city. And yet it keeps rising in many quarters. In Maxvorstadt, for example, in the Freimanner Auensiedlung. Or just think of Feldmoching. So Schwabing, especially Genter Straße, is not an isolated case. Water management, especially with regard to the groundwater problem, is repeatedly demanded by the Greens. But the residents of Schwabing cannot wait for that. Emergency aid must look different.
The state parliament unanimously passed the petition of the residents in 2020, wants clarification and demands the implementation of quick relief measures. It is no longer understandable why the authorities and the city are trying to circumvent a parliamentary decision. No wonder that in the most recent session of the state parliament there was even talk of a “disgrace”. If nothing happens after resolutions of this kind, then citizens no longer need to initiate petitions. Democratic processes – the plagued residents slowly no longer believe in them. One more reason that the mayor comes and talks to the people.