The German Environmental Protection Union (BUND) contends that even five years after the catastrophic floods in the Ahrtal, federal Germany remains inadequately prepared to cope with escalating weather extremes. According to the BUND, instead of allowing rivers sufficient room to flow, crucial floodplains continue to be developed for settlements and roads.
The organization reported on Tuesday that, across Germany, rivers have lost two-thirds of their original area. This loss is particularly notable in various states: 39 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia, 24 percent in Rhineland-Palatinate, and 46 percent in Bavaria.
Environmentalists warn that this situation poses a grave risk as the climate crisis progresses, leading to warmer North Atlantic and Mediterranean waters and an expected increase in heavy rainfall events, which in turn could trigger more devastating flood disasters.
A BUND investigation into flood protection investments across all federal states reveals a significant disparity. Between 2014 and 2024, approximately 301 million Euros were spent annually on dikes and other technical infrastructure. In contrast, only about seven million Euros were allocated to dikes or floodplain relocations.
Verena Graichen, managing director of the BUND, emphasized that Germany requires a drastically improved approach to flood defense. She cautioned that relying on dense construction, higher dikes, and an increase in retention basins (polders) is not a sufficient solution. While these measures might manage floods during peak events, Graichen stressed that absolute flood protection is neither technically feasible nor economically viable.
Furthermore, in an era of increasing water scarcity and groundwater stress, current practices are flushing away valuable water instead of allowing it to be naturally stored within the soil. The BUND is calling for a greater provision of space for rivers, dedicated funding for floodplain restoration, a halt to the permanent sealing of land, and greater investment in ecological flood protection methods.
