The climate crisis won't pause: Enhanced flood defense

Inundation Brings About Waterlogged Landscape - The climate crisis won't pause: Enhanced flood defense

Lower Saxony's government intends to enhance flood prevention measures following widespread flooding towards the beginning of the year. "The climate crisis doesn't pause. We aim to act quicker," remarked Environment Minister Christian Meyer (Greens) in Hanover on Monday, referring to the lengthy approval processes, like those in dike construction. "We also need additional staff." The Niedersächsische Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz (NLWKN) will be assigned 400 permanent roles, primarily for coastal and flood protection. Beforehand, the count of permanent employees was capped at 200.

In the so-called Christmas flood of late 2023, Lower Saxony and Bremen's dikes, aided by 120,000 volunteers and volunteers, averted even greater inundation. Even though the worst inundation was avoided, damages of several million euros were reported in just Lower Saxony, as per the Environment Ministry.

"Today, we have a 1.7-degree temperature rise in Lower Saxony. We understand that we'll face droughts in the summers," said Meyer. Moreover, there's an increase in heavy rain incidents that can strike in any part of the country. "We'll have to prep our municipalities for this altered disaster scenario," specified the minister. The encouragement of regional flood alliances is also on the agenda. Oldenburg's mayor Jürgen Krogmann (SPD) advocated for a regional confab for the area around the rivers Hunte and Haaren after the intense flooding in the days post-Christmas, since this predicament can't be solved solely at the district level.

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1. The turn of the year brings renewed concerns for Lower Saxony's government, as they vow to strengthen flood protection measures, learning from the flood incidents experienced at the beginning of the year.
2. The state government, led by Environment Minister Christian Meyer, has announced plans to boost the workforce of NLWKN by 400 permanent roles, primarily focusing on coastal and flood protection, in response to the climate crisis.
3. Speaking in Hanover, Meyer emphasized the need to act swiftly in the face of the climate crisis, citing lengthy approval processes in dike construction as an example.
4. In Germany, the climate crisis is leading to altered disaster scenarios, with an increase in heavy rain incidents and a 1.7-degree temperature rise in Lower Saxony, as Meyer pointed out.
5. The Hanover-based minister also highlighted the need to prepare municipalities for this new reality, encouraging regional flood alliances and advocating for regional discussions, such as the one Oльdern's mayor Jürgen Krogmann (SPD) proposed for the Hunte and Haaren rivers’ area.
6. TheNLWKN's expanded workforce will be instrumental in tackling the climate crisis and the resulting flood protection challenges in Lower Saxony, helping the region mitigate the effects of the persistent storms and the looming climate crisis.

Source: www.stern.de