'Every drop counts'Luxembourg water authority urges restraint amid intense heatwave

Lynn Cruchten

adapted for RTL Today

Luxembourg's Water Management Administration (AGE) has issued a series of recommendations on how to cut down on water use during the heatwave, warning that intense heat depletes reserves faster and pushes rivers under strain.

Update: 26.06.2026 09:00

As the heatwave continues, authorities in Luxembourg are urging residents to save water with simple daily habits to protect supplies and the environment.

On Thursday, the Water Management Administration (AGE) issued a string of recommendations on saving water as the heatwave drags on. The AGE reminds the public that every drop of water counts, and is encouraging people to adopt simple habits to preserve this precious resource.

There are many ways to save water. People can make use of rainwater for various tasks, head to a public swimming pool rather than repeatedly refilling their own, take their car to a car wash and shower sparingly.

In the Grand Duchy, around half of the drinking water comes from the reservoir, with the rest drawn from groundwater. Supplies remain sufficient for the time being, but during longer droughts, several municipalities not connected to the Water Syndicate of the Esch-sur-Sûre Dam (SEBES) network face the risk of shortages. In such cases, certain individual uses of drinking water could be banned.

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Heat puts both reserves and waterways under pressure

The press release notes that rising temperatures push up consumption of drinking water, whether for watering plants, leisure activities or household use. In periods of intense heat, the available resources come under greater strain, with drinking water reserves depleting faster and watercourses facing increased pressure.

Without making sweeping changes to daily routines, the AGE says people can contribute to more responsible water use by:

watering plants early in the morning or in the evening, when temperatures have eased,
choosing plants that need less water,
collecting rainwater whenever possible,
avoiding watering lawns, which naturally recover once the rain returns
taking shorter showers,
repairing leaks on taps and toilets, and
running water-hungry appliances only when full.

Protecting watercourses

During heatwaves, river levels drop. The water warms more quickly, oxygen levels decline and pollutants become more concentrated. These conditions degrade water quality and put aquatic ecosystems at risk. Against this backdrop, it is important to keep extraction from rivers and streams to a minimum during such periods.

Saving water today for tomorrow

With heatwaves becoming more frequent, preserving water resources has become a critical issue. Water used today, the AGE underlines, must remain available to meet future needs.

Adopting simple daily habits helps to take the pressure off the resource. Saving water, the administration argues, is a concrete way to act for the environment and for future generations. During a heatwave, it is also vital to stay well hydrated, ideally by reaching for tap water, which counts among the most strictly regulated food products on the market.