Europe’s Hidden Water Crisis

Communities across the EU face a growing water crisis driven by decades of groundwater mismanagement compounded by climate change. With an increasing number of groundwater bodies in poor quantitative condition and nearly two-thirds of drinking water reliant on underground reserves, a grim reality looms over Europe. Those affected try to adapt and fight back, but addressing water inequality needs political answers. A cross-border investigation explores groundwater depletion and its impact on affected communities in three of the EU’s hardest-hit countries, Romania, Italy, and Germany.

In Romanian villages, taps have been dry for months during the latest summer. In Italy, daily water interruptions were prolonged during winter months, affecting people’s capacity to make independent decisions about their own lives. While in Germany, Red Bull receives 92 per cent of the groundwater pumped from under the town of Baruth, while residents organise to fight for their future access to the dwindling groundwater.

This investigation was carried out in collaboration with journalists Adina Florea, Antonia Gross and Elena Matera and thanks to the support of Journalismfund Europe.

Here go its outcomes:

To the last drop: Europe’s Hidden Water Crisis (published on April 3, 2025 in the Green European Journal)

Sate însetate, orașe privilegiate. O criză anunțată a apelor subterane accentuează inegalitățile din, (on April 3, 2025 in Scena9.ro -Romanian side of the story, in Romanian)

Red Bull verleiht Dürre (published on March 29, 2025 in Taz -German side of the story, in German)

The Drought-Stricken Romanian Villages Hung Out to Dry (on April 11, 2025, Balkan Insight -Romanian side of the story, in English)

Undichte Leitungen und versteckte Entwässerungssysteme: Wird in Europa das Wasser knapp, liegt es auch an menschengemachter Verschwendung (on April 19, 2025, NZZ.ch, in German)

La siccità invisibile (published on May 9, 2025 in Internazionale, in Italian)