Rebuilding villages after floods should consider sustainability, adaptation – report
Clean Energy Wire
Areas destroyed by floods in western Germany in 2021 should not only be restored, but be rebuilt in a way that makes them more sustainable and resilient against future flood events, said a report by the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu). The report emphasised not only the need for reconstruction, but also the need to carry out risk assessments, as well as to build more resilient societies. In a set of practical guidelines, the authors recommended creating more room for rivers by moving settlements away from them; the strengthening of early warning systems; and more cooperation between different municipalities.
The authors called for municipalities to make full use of synergies between rebuilding and climate protection, for example by combining reconstruction with subsidies to move away from oil heating systems, which are usually found in basements and significantly increase the level of damage of flood events. Additionally, local authorities should increasingly focus on making critical infrastructures – such as power lines and hospitals – more resilient towards flooding damage in the rebuilding process, with flood prevention concepts accounting for the sensitivity of different structures and their users in addition to the intensity of the hazard.
Work behind the report began in the winter following the devastating floods in the Ahr valley and other parts of Germany and Europe, which led to over 30 billion euros worth of damage and the loss of more than 180 lives. However, the resulting guidelines in the report apply to all municipalities that want to invest in preventative measures to make their areas more climate-resilient.
Several high profile floods in recent years have pushed German policymakers to deal with the physical damages done by extreme weather events, yet a reform of the German flood protection law has been delayed due to February’s snap election. Meteorologists have said that the probability of stronger rains has increased due to the climate crisis, meaning floods are becoming more likely and more severe as global temperatures rise.
