Water management

11 October 2022 Number of accidents involving water-hazardous substances decreased once again in 2021

1,979 accidents involving water-hazardous substances were registered in Germany in 2021. The number of such accidents thus fell once again from a year earlier (-2.2%), reaching the lowest level recorded since the start of the time series. 16.1 million litres of pollutants escaped into the environment in these accidents (2020: 7.7 million litres), according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). 14.7 million litres (91.5%) of the pollutants could be recovered, used afterwards, or properly disposed of in order to protect the environment. Approximately 1.4 million litres (8.5%) could not be recovered (2020: 3.0 million litres) and caused lasting damage to the environment.

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