1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
Iran warGerman politicsUkraine
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
A Pakistani girl filling a can with water from a hand pump, seen in silhouette against a low sun
Image: ARIF ALI/AFP

Water

Necessary for life, water is a finite resource. The depletion of freshwater can risk water security, endanger ecosystems and even fuel conflict.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Kelp fly larvae

Marine insects: small but significant

Insects live in abundance in every part of world except the sea, which covers more than 70 percent of the Earth.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 9, 2018
Rescuers carry a water pump to the cave

Rescuers lower food, maps into Thai cave

The rescuers hope the children would stumble upon the boxes containing food, water, and flashlights.
CatastropheJune 29, 2018
Facebook logo on a smartphone screen

Facebook eases cryptocurrency ad ban

Facebook has said it's easing a ban on ads for cryptocurrencies while not changing its rules for initial coin offerings.
BusinessJune 27, 2018
external

Burkina Faso expands irrigation project

In Burkina Faso, water is a precious resource. Drip irrigation technology is helping farmers boost their harvests.
BusinessJune 25, 201802:43 min
Drops of water falling from a tap

How to switch your dripping tap to 'silent'

We have probably all suffered the plink-plink sound of a dripping tap in the night. But there is an easy way to stop it.
ScienceJune 22, 2018
DW eco@africa - Toilettes in Ghana

The Wash King of Ghana

Proper disposal of fecal waste in Ghana is a huge environmental and sanitary challenge. A new digester toilet may help.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 22, 201803:11 min
Fertilizer

ECJ: Germany failed to curb nitrate levels in groundwater

The ruling means that the European Commission has the option to propose fines against Germany.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 21, 2018
Donald Trump

Trump's lasting damage to the environment

No matter how long the Trump era lasts, experts say the damage already done to the environment would take years to undo.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 21, 2018
DW eco@africa - Turning the ominous hyacinth into manure

Turning the ominous hyacinth into fertilizer

Find out how some African farmers have found a green business opportunity in an invasive species.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 15, 201804:06 min
Woman with water canister, Colombia

Clean water for the Wayuu in Colombia

Drinking water is scarce in northeastern Colombia. Small desalination plants may be the solution.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 12, 201806:29 min
Fruits and vegetables

Climate change strips foods of nutrients

Environmental changes pose serious threats to the nutritional value of crops. A new study reveals an even broader scope.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 11, 2018
Burkina Faso Landwirtschaft

Burkina Faso expands irrigation project

In Burkina Faso, water is a precious resource. Drip irrigation technology is helping farmers boost their harvests.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 11, 201803:27 min
The Nile River with the backdrop of the pyramids of Giza

Egypt and Ethiopia fend off water wars

Egypt has long worried that Ethiopia's planned Grand Renaissance Dam will cut its share of the Nile River.
PoliticsJune 11, 2018
A puffin with a beak full of fish

Puffin in peril

One of the world's most iconic birds is in trouble, and warming waters are likely to blame.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 8, 2018
Indien Wasser holen in Bengaluru

Is India's IT capital running out of water?

Some warn Bengaluru, nicknamed the Silicon Valley of India, may be the next global city to potentially run out of water.
PoliticsJune 7, 2018
Drought in Thar Pakistan

Why is Pakistan running dry?

Pakistani authorities remain negligent about the water crisis that's posing a serious threat to the country's stability.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 7, 2018
Woman drinking water from a fountain

Boarding school drinking water

A Colombian boarding school is using seawater desalination equipment to provide the local community with drinking water.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 5, 2018
external

Clean water thanks to sun, wind and technology

Drinking water is scarce in northeastern Colombia. Small desalination plants may be the solution.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 4, 201801:32 min
Sleeping Lion Pearl

Largest freshwater pearl fetches €320,000

The 7-centimeter, oddly shaped Sleeping Lion pearl has sold for €320,000 at an auction house in the Netherlands.
CultureJune 1, 2018
Bildergalerie Uganda unter Wasser

Africa's resource wars

From fertile land in Nigeria to the waters of the Nile, tensions are rising over control of diminishing resources.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 31, 201829:59 min
USA Überschwemmung im Süden von Louisiana

Green tech from Africa

African students are exchanging ideas with Germany on high-tech solutions for sustainability.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 31, 2018
Euromaxx Sendung am 12.06. | Extratour Ljubljana

Ljubljana by Water

A boat ride is the perfect way to discover the Slovenian capital.
LifestyleMay 29, 201804:28 min
external

Water shortage spurs innovation in Cape Town

Cape Town's drought has changed how businesses operate - creating opportunies for some.
BusinessMay 24, 201801:16 min
The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket

Satellites launched to study water movement

Elon Musk's SpaceX has delivered a pair of satellites into orbit that will monitor fluctuations in the earth's gravity.
ScienceMay 23, 2018
DW eco@africa - hydroponics in China

Feeding the world of the future: is hydroponics the answer?

Earth's population is soaring and climate change is set to make farming in many regions tougher. Hydroponics could help.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 18, 20187 images
external

Solar systems make life easier for Georgian villagers

A Georgian village is given solar-powered water heaters to reduce their need for firewood.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 18, 201801:41 min
Deutschland Rheinschleife mit der Stadt Boppard

Germany's lakes and rivers face ecological crisis

A conservation group has warned that chemicals and river engineering have damaged 92 percent of Germany's freshwater.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 17, 2018
Water buffalo on Germany's A3 autobahn

Autobahn closed by roaming water buffalo

A herd of runaway water buffalo has forced a nine-hour closure of the A3 motorway near Leverkusen in both directions.
SocietyMay 14, 2018
Salar de Atacama Chile

Chile's lithium – blessing or curse?

Indigenous people say companies are cashing in on lithium in the Salar de Atacama at the expense of their environment.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 11, 2018
A hand opens a sink tap to fill a glass with water

German tap water prices climb with nitrates as culprit

German consumers are paying more on average for drinking water, with nitrates from agribusiness seen as the cause.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 11, 2018
Global Ideas - Kenya Flower Council

The ugly side of Kenya's flower trade

This weekend, people in many countries will be marking Mothers' Day with bouquets of fresh flowers. Some of these blooms will have made a long journey from East Africa — where their environmental impact is nothing to celebrate.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 10, 201805:02 min
DW eco@africa

Eco-at-Africa — The Environment Magazine

On this week's eco@africa, rebuilding a park in Mozambique, vertical farming in Germany and Cameroon's biogas man.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 4, 201856:02 min
Pilots of Korean Air protest wearing Guy Fawkes masks

Korean Air staff protests abuse by heiresses

Pilots, flight attendants and other Korean Air staff members in Seoul railed against abuse by the owner's family.
BusinessMay 4, 2018
DW eco@africa - A ray having an x-ray

The deadly Mediterranean

Illegal dumping and high levels of heavy metals in the Adriatic are threatening ray and shark species with extinction.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 4, 201803:35 min
DW eco@africa - Sharon Momanyi

Welcome to the latest edition of eco@africa

This week on eco@africa: rebuilding a national park in Mozambique, vertical farming in Germany and Cameroon's biogas man
Nature and EnvironmentMay 4, 2018
external

Nicaragua’s National Coffee school

At the Nicaragua’s National Coffee school students learn everything about coffee, from planting to processing.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 19, 201801:04 min
Nara plant in the Namib desert

The last drop

Some plants have found incredible ways to draw the last drop of water out of the desert.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 19, 2018
A pond filled with oil in Thar Jath oil field - FILE

'600,000 affected by oil contamination' in South Sudan

German development organization Sign of Hope warns of dangerous consequences.
PoliticsApril 18, 2018
Reservoir near Paraibuna, Brazil

Tapping into Brazil's water supply

The Guarani aquifer, the second-largest body of subterranean water on the planet, is at risk.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 18, 2018
DW Euromaxx Kaercher

Painting with a high-pressure water gun

Klaus Dauven creates monumental reverse graffiti with only water pressure on dams and walls.
LifestyleApril 15, 201804:59 min
A lake in Lower Saxony

Most German lakes miss the grade ecologically

Water quality in German lakes is suffering under an overuse of liquid manure, experts say.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 13, 2018
Cape Town residents queue to collect water from a natural spring during the drought

Cape Town's water crisis

In the midst of a crippling drought, residents in Cape Town are being told to prepare for an even hotter, drier future.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 12, 201810:28 min
external

Water crisis at the Cape

Gamtoos Valley is one of the largest citrus growing areas in South Africa. The drought hits the farmers hard.
BusinessApril 10, 201803:00 min
South Africa | Eliminate water-intensive invasive brush and tree species

Wattle hunting

In South Africa's fight against drought and water shortages, the hunt is on for invasive plants.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 10, 2018
Global 3000 Südafrika Wasser

South Africa's struggle with drought

South Africa needs its people's help to battle the effects of the country's drought.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 10, 201805:10 min
external

Water crisis grips South Africa's Cape

A water crisis has gripped South Africa's Cape. Invasive plants are worsening matters but one project is fighting back.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 6, 201801:30 min
Asien Klimawandel Tonle Sap Kambodscha

Mekong under threat

The Mekong is the longest river in South-East Asia. Over 70 million people, living in six different countries, depend on this river for their livelihoods. But development is putting the ecosystem here under threat. Sand mines and hydro-electric power stations are changing the water quality, blocking fish migration routes and crippling the stability of the river banks.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 29, 201811:10 min
Cruise ships anchored off the Caribbean island of Cozumel

Giants on the water and below

Tourists come to the Mexican island of Cozumel for its pristine nature but their large numbers threaten the island.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 28, 20186 images
Dubai, Gevora Hotel

Dubai: Can the city of black gold go green?

Oil has made Dubai one of the world's wealthiest cities. Can it source enough water without fossil-fueled desalination?
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 27, 2018
Narendra Modi

Indian PM under fire for alleged app data sharing

India's prime minister has shared data garnered via his official app without consent, a hacker alleges.
PoliticsMarch 26, 2018