BERLIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Germany's water bodies are in a "deplorable state", a study published on Wednesday by environmental organization BUND finds.
According to the study, nine out of 10 rivers and lakes in Germany suffer from ecological pressures created by agriculture, industrial production and water transport. Overall, 92 percent of water bodies are affected by environmental degradation. BUND cited official data compiled by the federal environmental agency (UBA) as the primary source for its research.
The environmental organization argued that a variety of factors were contributing to the worrying situation. In analysis of the state of waters on the basis of 10 individual categories, the intensive use of herbicides and/or pesticides, mining activities and human engineering efforts to make rivers more suitable for river traffic were highlighted as being particularly problematic for German water quality.
Responding to the findings, BUND President Hubert Weigner urged policymakers to take steps to improve the health of Germany's rivers and lakes.
According to Weigner, the study made clear that the government would need to "respond immediately" to save what was left of German waters.
Proposing a first concrete step towards greater environmental responsibility, Wagner called on Berlin as well as the Commission of the European Union (EU) in Brussels to prevent existing regulatory standards from being weakened.
Green party (Gruene) parliamentary faction leader Anton Hofreiter told press on Wednesday that research by BUND should be a "wakeup call" for the government. Hofreiter complained that the study findings demonstrated how "carelessly" Germans treated their rivers and lakes.
