What Protects Us from Too Much Water?

Due to the climate crisis, heavy rainfall is increasingly flooding German cities. This threatens lives and incurs billions of euros in damages. Outdated plans and unclear responsibilities have so far hindered effective flood protection. To change this, better coordination between authorities is needed. Additionally, flood protection must be more strongly integrated into the planning of new settlements, and knowledge management must become more transparent.

In the most recent “Water Atlas 20250“, Dženeta and colleagues talk about future challenges in water management. Ecosystems must be considered more holistically, beyond administrative and property boundaries. Restoring rivers and floodplains, as well as removing dikes to create retention areas, helps protect communities naturally from flooding.

Water cycles must be accounted for in administrative processes, organizational structures need to be adapted, and knowledge management improved. However, conflicting interests among various stakeholders often arise. To moderate these conflicts and break entrenched structures, greater transparency is needed regarding whether and how laws and administrative decisions are implemented. Moreover, it must be made clear what consequences inaction will have and who will be affected by these outcomes.