- Cabinet meets at the Weltenburg Monastery to discuss flooding
About seven weeks after the end of the partly dramatic flood situation in Bavaria, the cabinet will deal with protection against such natural disasters on Tuesday (10:00 a.m.). For this purpose, Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) has invited his ministers to the Kloster Weltenburg. The ministers will travel to the venue by ship from Kelheim.
In early June, heavy rain caused massive flooding on many rivers and streams in Bavaria for several days. According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 84,000 helpers were deployed as a result. Around 7,000 evacuations were necessary due to the floods. German insurers estimated preliminary damage of about two billion euros from the floods in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Expansion of polder systems takes time
One way to protect people and buildings along rivers from extreme flood events are flood polders. These are areas enclosed by dikes that can be flooded in case of extreme events. Although this concept has been known for a long time, its implementation is progressing slowly. After the 1999 flood, the state government decided to build seven large flood polders, but only two of these projects have been completed so far.
The Ministry of the Environment cannot say when the Danube Polders will be completed. "The completion date depends mainly on the course of further approval procedures and any resulting restrictions (e.g., construction time limits)," it said in response to a recent question from the SPD in the state parliament.
SPD criticism: Need more money for flood protection in Bavaria
"The ministry's response shows how long it takes to complete flood protection measures. That's not good enough! The terrible floods in early June showed that we need more money for flood protection and must significantly speed up the construction of flood polders and flood retention basins," said SPD politician Florian von Brunn. The state government should not leave the municipalities in the lurch, especially with regard to small waterways, which can become very dangerous during heavy rain. Local mayors and communities cannot handle this alone.
The idyllic Kloster Weltenburg is located above the Danube Gorge in a bend of the Danube directly on the water and was also severely affected by the flood in early June. At one point, the Danube water was already above the window sills. Thanks to the efforts of many helpers and technical aids, a flood was narrowly averted - the last time the monastery was completely flooded was in 1999.
The Commission has reviewed the slow progress in implementing flood polder systems following the 1999 flood, and the cabinet will discuss strategies to accelerate protection against natural disasters on Tuesday. The Commission has noted the need for increased funding and faster construction of flood polders and retention basins, especially in light of the severe flooding experienced in Bavaria earlier this year.
