EMFloodResilience project

TU Delft partner in Interreg Euregio Meuse-Rhine flood research

The July 2021 floods caused a huge loss of lives and an enormous damage in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. TU Delft took the initiative to form a consortium of Dutch universities and research institutes to collect and assess the most relevant data within The Netherlands on this catastrophe (Task Force Fact Finding Floods 2021) and reported this early September (ENW, 2021).

The Euregio received funds from the European Commission to explore and develop improvements in the flood management system. Mid 2022 the programme EMFlood Resilience was launched, with TU Delft contributing to setting up of field labs, flash flood forecasting, debris modelling and flood damage assessment within an international consortium. 

Interreg Euregio Meuse-Rhine flood research in the "post-flood" context

At Interreg Euregio Meuse-Rhine (EMR) they fund projects where partners work together across borders. They invest in projects around innovation, economy, social inclusion and training and territorial cohesion. By stimulating cross-border cooperation, they strengthen the economic and social fabric in the border region between Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The Interreg V-A EMR programme is investing nearly 100 million euros in the development of this Interreg area in the period up to 2023.

In total of 6.9 million is being invested into a Interreg project called EMFloodResilience. In Which will enable partner organizations to carry out projects focusing on the following aspects: improving weather and water forecasts, strengthening crisis response, and making spatial planning more climate-proof. The EMfloodResilience project is being carried out within the context of Interreg V-A Euregio MeuseRhine and is 90% funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

EMFloodResilience: Eleven partners collaborate internationally against floods

Following the floods in 2021 in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, 11 partners from the three countries have decided to join forces to combat flooding and improve water security. The climate is changing, and extreme weather situations will unfortunately become more and more frequent. That is why investments are being made to warn the population about the risks of impending floods. 

The aim of the EMfloodResilience project is to improve the euregional exchange of information and to broaden cooperation between public river management services. The main objective is to take advantage of the benefits of the location of the EMR during major crises and thus develop a concerted methodology to analyze the effects of the measures taken and their impacts on the EMR and its citizens. With the ultimate goal to become better prepared for the next extreme flood event and thereby prevent future loss of life and socio-economic damage. You can road more about this project on: https://emfloodresilience.eu/

This cross-border cooperation project has been made possible thanks to a contribution from the Interreg programme amounting to a total of 6.9  million euros. Project proposals for all these aspects have been submitted and approved by the Interreg programme authority for an amount of more than €8 million. The projects will run until 31 December 2023.

The project partners

  1. Limburg Water Board (leadpartner)
  2. Rijkswaterstaat
  3. KNMI
  4. Delft University of Technology
  5. Gemeente Weert
  6. Université de Liège
  7. Province of Liège (BE)
  8. De Vlaamse Waterweg
  9. The Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)
  10. Wasserverband Eifel Rur
  11. RWTH Aachen University

Service Public Wallonie (SPW) is an associate partner of this project. They appreciate this initiative and will attribute, based on their competences and capabilities, if possible and asked for.