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Are we running out of water? What citizens are worried about

Water from Austria is among the cleanest in Europe.(Bild: Dennis Schaefer)

A new survey has revealed a particularly great fear among Austrians: Citizens are worried about domestic water. More than 60 percent of the population are concerned about water scarcity - and almost all Austrians are now calling on politicians to take action.

Over 90 percent of respondents were in favor of concrete protective measures and 87 percent want industrial companies to pay for their water consumption. These attitudes were recorded in a representative survey of over 2000 respondents conducted by the market and opinion research institute Integral on behalf of the environmental protection organization Greenpeace.

Older people in particular are worried
63 percent of participants stated that they had noticed regional water shortages in Austria in the past two years - the 70+ age group in particular answered this question in the affirmative, while younger people under the age of 19 were less aware of the problem.

Six out of ten respondents also expressed the fear that water shortages could occur more frequently in the future. This concern is most pronounced in Lower Austria (66%) and Upper Austria (64%).

Concerns about food safety
People who work in agriculture or trade in agricultural products also showed above-average concern about the future availability of water. Food cultivation is considered to be particularly at risk, with 74% of respondents citing it as potentially affected.

According to Greenpeace, around 70 percent of total water consumption in Austria is accounted for by industry, which generally pays nothing for the water it uses. The ten largest companies alone have a consumption of around 4 million inhabitants.

This was met with a lack of understanding among those surveyed: 87 percent are of the opinion that industrial companies should be obliged to pay for their water consumption. In addition, 91 percent of Austrians would like the next federal government to draw up precise plans to protect water.