Alarm level red for Lower Saxony: flood risk increasing!

Alarm level red for Lower Saxony: flood risk increasing!

Oldenburg, Deutschland - The concern for floods in Lower Saxony grows. As the German Environmental Aid (DuH) currently reports, Lower Saxony is one of the federal states with the highest risk of flood in Germany. Around 2.96 percent of the country area belong to risk areas, which affects almost 24,000 home addresses. With the increase in extreme weather due to climate change, a flood of the century that appears statistically once every 100 years is to be expected more and more.

In early 2022, Lower Saxony had already experienced a heavy flood. In a comprehensive analysis, the DUH evaluated the flood prevention and monitoring from 2014 to 2024 and found that not only Lower Saxony, but also Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia are considered high-risk areas. Bavaria is particularly affected, with over 65,000 affected residential addresses and 4.25 percent of the area, which is at risk in a flood of the century. North Rhine-Westphalia classified 6.8 percent of the area as potentially risky, but significantly fewer affected home addresses-a discrepancy that concerns many people.

growing threats from the climate crisis

climate change is the main reason for the increase in flood events. According to the Science , the precipitation has increased in intensity and frequency worldwide since the 1950s. The air gets warmer and can therefore keep more water vapor, which leads to more common and stronger rainfall. This is also reinforced by the steadily increasing sea level and the associated storm surges. Studies show that severe rainfalls, as they have been observed in Germany and internationally in recent years, are often associated with the consequences of climate change.

The DUH therefore calls for increased support from the municipalities and countries in order to better prepare for such extreme weather events. Not only financial means, but also improved coordination and comprehensive data collection are of great relevance. Nature should be seen as part of the solution by dismantling flood areas and renataturizing natural protection areas such as meadows and bogs. Bremen, which is praised for his "Bresilient" research project, provides a positive example. Here a storm surge and heavy rain partnership was successfully closed with different actors that could serve as a model for other regions.

flood protection in the future

The situation in Lower Saxony makes it clear that the need for action is higher than ever. The increasing risk from flooding requires a comprehensive strategy. The DUH emphasizes that many federal states in flood prevention still have considerable catching up to do. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke is working on a law that is intended to accelerate the construction of dams and dikes. In the course of the upcoming new election, however, there are uncertainties as to whether this important legal project can actually be implemented.