From the perspective of the Greens in the Baden-Württemberg state parliament, investments in flood protection pay off. As can be seen from a response from the Environment Ministry to a request from the Green Party, the country has invested around 1.8 billion euros in flood protection in recent years. With the help of these protective systems, assets worth around 10.7 billion euros would be protected in the southwest in the event of a once-in-a-century flood, according to the answer.
“Investments in flood protection pay off in many ways. Put in one euro, saved at least five euros – that’s one of the most sensible investments there is,” said Green MP Bernd Mettenleiter, who is responsible for flood protection in the parliamentary group. Although flood damage cannot be completely prevented, it can be reduced. The country benefits from investments in flood protection today and even more in the future. “We have to expect that there will be more extreme weather events in the future,” said Mettenleiter.
According to the ministry, a once-in-a-century flood, i.e. one that statistically occurs every 100 years, would result in damage amounting to around 5.8 billion euros along bodies of water in Baden-Württemberg. In the event of an extreme flood, which according to the ministry occurs very rarely, damage amounting to around 33.9 billion euros would be possible.
Climate change leads to more heavy rain
Heavy rain has become more frequent and intense in most places around the world due to climate change. The reason: the warmer it gets, the more moisture the atmosphere can absorb – which leads to higher amounts of precipitation. But other human factors also play a role in floods.
At the beginning of June there was severe flooding in parts of Baden-Württemberg after heavy rain. Rudersberg and Schorndorf in the Rems-Murr district were particularly affected. Two people died in the floods in Schorndorf. According to police, a 58-year-old resident and his 84-year-old mother tried to pump water out of the basement of their house. Firefighters later found the two dead in the basement. The Filstal east of Stuttgart, regions in Upper Swabia and large parts of Bavaria were also affected by the floods at the beginning of June.
According to previous information from the Interior Ministry, the damage from the floods at the beginning of June amounted to around 444 million euros in the Stuttgart district and around 110 million euros in the Tübingen district.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240929-930-246529/1
