The water dispenser is not only used frequently by members of the public, but also serves a worthy cause: it comes from the "Join the pipe" organisation, which has set itself the goal of improving the drinking water supply worldwide. For every water station set up in Europe, the organisation finances a water and hygiene project in a developing country. Bonn was one of the first cities in Germany to join this project. "I hope that Bonn will be a role model for many cities and communities, so that they will follow our example and also set up water stations," explains Mayor Sridharan.

The free water source between Bottlerplatz and Friedensplatz has been around for some time. However, you shouldn’t drink nor bathe in the well water running next to it: According to the city council, this is not drinking water, as is the case with almost all municipal wells. In fact, the water is constantly re-circulated by the pumps, and there is a risk of bacteria spreading as no chlorine is used.

“Join the pipe" is not the only organization campaigning for drinking water. “Refill Germany" is aiming to avoid plastic waste by offering water refilling stations. Instead of buying a bottle of water at a kiosk, the stations allow you to fill up your own water bottle with tap water. There are twelve of these stations in Bonn and the region alone. There are four stations in the city centre: one at the retail chain Lush, one at the outdoor sports shop Unterwegs Bonn, one near the main train station by the organic supermarket Basic and one in Rosentalstraße. Two further drinking water stations can be found in Bonn's Nordstadt. The Bonner Kunstverein has set up one of the two stations, and another one can be found at the Salutara physiotherapy practice. There are also two refill stations in Bad Godesberg. One of them is the drinking water fountain at Theaterplatz, and the second one is at Florence Naturfaserstoffe. There is a station at BonnLab in Beuel and at Küdinghoven by the non-profit organization Initiative Torus. Coworking Bonn offers one of the drinking water stations in Poppelsdorf, and the Holzlarer pharmacy in Holzlar also has a refill station. Nearly 50 stations can be found in Cologne.

In addition, the Wasserwagen (water wagon) of the Stadtwerke Bonn, which distributes water free of charge, can be found on the Münsterplatz time and again. The wagon is often on the move throughout Bonn and can also be found at local events. Dates and locations can be found on the SWB homepage. A plus point for children: Ahoj-Brause is also available free of charge with the water on request. But the wagon is also popular without the Brause: in 2017, almost 157,200 cups were served on 64 missions, which corresponds to around 31,500 litres of water. On average, around 2,500 cups are served each time. On really hot days this can be as many as 5000 cups.

"This week there is no room for the water wagon on Münsterplatz due to a French market. From the middle of next week, however, a regular deployment is planned there again," says Michael Henseler from Stadtwerke. However, there are no fixed dates. "If the water wagon is there, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The days depend on whether there are any other events taking place on the site, or if the water wagon is already booked elsewhere".

(Original text: Jana Henseler and Nicolas Ottersbach, Translation: Caroline Payne)