Community flood protection: Dike construction planned in Thedinghausen!

Community flood protection: Dike construction planned in Thedinghausen!

Something is happening in the area of ​​flood protection in the joint municipality of Thedinghausen: after the flood events in the winter of 2023/24, an expansion of the protective measures is planned. The goal? The dyke systems should not only be made safer, but also more efficient. An information evening at Erbhof Castle, attended by around 50 citizens, provided initial insights into the projects that are to be implemented as part of the comprehensive plan. These measures are not only necessary, but also anchored in law, as umweltbundesamt.de explains.

The striking plans include improving the left Weser dike, which stretches from Eißel to Ahausen and is around nine kilometers long. The dike will be divided into three sections and, among other things, will have the inland embankment flattened (slope 3:1) and the dike crown widened to three meters. In addition, a dike defense route should be created in order to be able to react more quickly in an emergency. It is also essential that hydronomic calculations are carried out to prevent water levels from rising in other places. The planning of these projects should be completed by 2026, followed by an approval process that will take one to one and a half years.

The legal framework

The legal basis for flood protection is set out in the Water Resources Act (WHG). This includes relevant regulations that must be taken into account when planning flood protection measures. What is particularly important is the definition of flood areas, which must be shown on official maps, as nlwkn.de emphasizes. The legislature has also ensured that communities are supported in their flood protection planning. Affected areas must be kept clear in the land use and development plans in order to minimize future risks.

The responsible authorities are required to create risk and danger maps in order to inform citizens about possible dangers and necessary precautionary measures. Citizens themselves are also obliged to take appropriate protective measures, as stated in the WHG. The preventive approach to flood protection, fully in line with the WHG, aims to maintain and implement retention areas, which is supported in Thedinghausen by the establishment of a working group with representatives from various interest groups such as farmers and municipalities.

Joint efforts for greater security

A central component of the planned measures is land consolidation, which is necessary in order to be able to use private areas for the dike defense route. The state of Lower Saxony will cover the costs of this land consolidation, but this can only be carried out with broad agreement among those affected. Citizens should be regularly informed about the progress and results in the local council and in citizens' meetings.

These joint efforts are an important step towards sustainably improving flood protection in the region and protecting citizens and the environment. The legally established requirements provide a clear framework for this, while inter-municipal cooperation increases the efficiency of the measures. It remains to be hoped that this initiative will not only have a preventative effect, but also increase awareness of the need for flood protection among the population, as []( kreiszeitung.de ) finally emphasized.