EMfloodResilience: international cooperation after the Meuse 2021 flood
In July 2021, the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion (Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands) was hit by unprecedented rainfall, leading to extreme flooding. The human suffering was considerable, and the damage caused was enormous in all 3 countries that make up this Euroregion.
The EMfloodResilience project helped the region to be better prepared for extreme flooding. The aim of this project was to improve information sharing and to intensify collaboration within the Euroregion.
The project was funded by the European Interreg programme (4.4 million euros). Project partners included river authorities and other public organisations in the Euroregion.
Rijkswaterstaat harnessed data from 2021 Meuse-Rhine flood to mitigate future events
Rijkswaterstaat led one of the project's work packages. We investigated the impact and consequences of a flooding event. We analysed how damage caused by floods is measured or estimated in the Euroregion.
We focused on the impact of the summer 2021 flood on river morphology, and habitats and species protected under the Habitats Directive in and along the section of the Meuse that forms the border between the Netherlands and Belgium.
In the future, the impact of extreme rainfall will be modelled using data from the summer 2021 flood and new methods developed by KNMI. The effects that vegetation may suffer during (summer) floods will be taken into account.
The risk and impact of flooding will be mapped. Taken together, this information will help us formulate effective measures to mitigate flood events and the negative impact they have.
The future of EMfloodResilience
We must learn the lessons of each and every disaster. That demands time, money and resources. The money from the EU via EMfloodResilience has accelerated the studies and, being characterised by international collaboration, has ensured that we get helpful feedback from the other managers of water systems in the Meuse catchment area. This has had a positive impact on our studies. We hope to further pursue the partnership we have now built up in the future.
Click here to view the Evaluation of discharge extremes in the Meuse river and her tributaries - Rijkswaterstaat Publication.
The EMfloodResilience project has been carried out within the context of Interreg V-A Euregio MeuseRhine and was 90% funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Project period
May 2022 – December 2023
European programme
Project website
Partners
Limburg Water Board, University of Liège, Flemish Waterways, Wasserverband Eifel-Rur, RWTH Aachen University, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, Delft University of, Technology, Province of Liège, Municipality of Weert, Institute for Nature and Forest Research.
Service Public Wallonie (SPW) is an associate partner.
