Slab Mag
Phantom Narratives of the Built Environment

Thanks to colleague Wolfgang for pointing us towards an article in Berlin’s Tagesspiegel newspaper from August of this year.

The errant piece of AstroTurf featured in the preceeding article (AstroTurf Gemütlichkeit #004) has indeed, as we suggested, been deliberately placed above the manhole cover, but not for aesthetic reasons.

Staunching the stench [Photo: Janina Guthke/Tagesspiegel]

As the Tagesspiegel article explains, Berliners have been steadily curbing their water use for decades. Between 1991 and 2007, daily use dropped by 19%. The result is an underused canalisation system which is incapable of cleaning itself, and therefore stinks. The problem is particularly bad on Winterfeldplatz, where restaurant and bar owners have taken matters into their own hands.

Currently the Berlin Waterboard doesn’t have a solution at hand. It’s homepage, however, does feature a couple of practical water-saving tips.

Location: Berlin – Germany