State Government in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) fails to earmark budget for flood control measures
North Rhine-Westphalia, often referred to as a waterland, is facing a growing challenge with frequent flooding, with rivers like the Ruhr in Alstaden experiencing overflows. However, the state is lagging behind in drawing down federal funds for flood protection compared to other German states.
According to recent data, North Rhine-Westphalia has 438 risk waters with a total length of 5,894 kilometers. Despite this, the state has only managed to draw down 26% of the federal funds for flood protection available from 2018 to 2023, with Baden-Württemberg drawing down almost 94% and Bavaria almost 97%.
The slow drawdown of funds has been a subject of criticism, with SPD state parliamentarian Sonja Bongers stating that it's sometimes astonishing how politics works, or rather, doesn't, in reference to the slow drawdown of funds for flood protection in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bongers also expressed concern given the increasing frequency of flood disasters in the region.
Experts attribute the lag to limitations in strategic planning and institutional coordination for flood risk adaptation in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Erft catchment area exemplifies the challenges, highlighting systemic resilience and justice issues that complicate effective flood protection implementation. Unlike some other areas, North Rhine-Westphalia seems to face more systemic and operational challenges, including gaps in planning, crisis management harmonization, and possibly lagging readiness in crisis equipment and cross-agency cooperation.
The legal expert has warned that the slow drawdown of funds for flood protection is endangering the lives of people and animals. Hundreds of helpers have performed massive dike work to prevent the Ruhr river from breaking through into city districts, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
To address these issues, experts call for the simplification and acceleration of approval procedures for flood protection measures. Coordination projects and cross-border cooperation exist in neighbouring regions, but North Rhine-Westphalia may not have sufficiently aligned institutional mechanisms or integrated multi-stakeholder partnerships necessary to efficiently deploy federal or European funds.
Out of nearly 44 million euros available, the North Rhine-Westphalia state government has only drawn down 11.5 million euros. With the frequency of flood disasters on the rise, it is crucial for the state government to accelerate the drawdown of funds to ensure effective and sustainable flood protection.
- "Given the rising frequency of flood disasters, the slow drawdown of federal funds for flood protection in North Rhine-Westphalia, as compared to other states like Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, is a matter of environmental-science and general-news concern."
- "Experts believe that the lag in drawing down funds for flood protection in North Rhine-Westphalia is due to limitations in strategic planning and institutional coordination, which are also significant issues in the science and politics of disaster management."
- "The legal expert's warning that the slow drawdown of funds for flood protection is endangering lives draws attention to the urgent need for the finance industry to prioritize and expedite the disbursement of funds for this critical issue in North Rhine-Westphalia's industry and environment."
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