Giant pipe break in Berlin: Hundreds of thousands without water!

Giant pipe break in Berlin: Hundreds of thousands without water!

On April 30, 2025, there was a significant incident in Berlin when a 101 -year -old water tube broke around midnight at the United Nations Square in the Friedrichshain district. This breakdown led to massive restrictions in the water supply, including the districts of Mitte, Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg, Prenzlauer Berg, Pankow, Weißensee, Hellersdorf, Kaulsdorf and Marzahn. The entire northeast of Berlin had no water at times.

The water supply was largely restored in the early morning. This is in contrast to a similar incident that occurred on New Year's Eve. At that time, a 100 -year -old water pipe in the Wedding district burst, which caused hundreds of thousands of households for one to two hours without drinking water. In both cases, streets had to be blocked for several hours due to flooding, which caused additional traffic problems.

infrastructure problems in Berlin

The main line that broke in the current incident had a diameter of 80 cm. The condition of the Berlin water pipes is generally alarming: in the year there are an average of around 500 water pipe fractures, with an increasing tendency. The entire water network of around 19,000 kilometers is also in need of renovation; The main and supply lines are almost 60 years old on average. In a recently published analysis, it was also found that 120 out of around 800 Berlin bridges will have to be rebuilt over the next ten years.

The decay of the infrastructure is attributed to decades of savings policy. Measures to renovate and modernize public infrastructure require at least 108 billion euros in the next ten years, with 48 billion euros for public buildings, 17 billion euros for local transport, 13 billion euros for schools and daycare centers as well as 11 billion euros for water, energy and heating networks.

political decisions and their consequences

The current state government of the CDU and SPD plans painful cuts in important public expenses, especially in the areas of environment and transport. In 2022, the budget was reduced by more than 4 billion euros, and from April 2025 further cuts of 39 million euros will be implemented for education, youth and family. This development contradicts the need for a fundamental renovation of the infrastructure, which the coalition parties often recognize in the coalition agreement as fully necessary.

In addition, it is expected that the quality of public services will continue to suffer from the outsourcing of public tasks to private companies. The upgrading and security expenses in the Berlin budget, on the other hand, remain untouched.

In view of the recurring problems with the water pipes and the overall infrastructure, the Senate plans measures to secure the Berlin water cycle in the long term. These measures include improved water volume management, the renovation of the sewage infrastructure and strategies for water extraction. The aim is, among other things, to counter falling levels and deteriorated water quality.

The current events once again illustrate the urgency to invest in the infrastructure in order to ensure the quality of life of the citizens in Berlin and the reliability of basic services.