Resilience strategies for flood risk management in the Netherlands

TLDR

The Dutch flood‑risk policy relies on a resistance strategy of raising dikes along the lower Rhine, whereas alternative resilience strategies aim to minimise flood consequences by allowing some flooding. Resilience strategies employ detention compartments and green rivers, and are evaluated through cost and damage models together with expert scoring of ecological and landscape impacts. Although resilience strategies entail high initial costs, they provide long‑term risk reduction, greater flexibility, and enhanced opportunities for nature and landscape development.

Abstract

Abstract A comparison is made between the current flood risk management policy in the Netherlands, which is a resistance strategy aimed at the prevention of flooding along the lower Rhine River by raising the dikes, and two alternative resilience strategies that aim at minimising the consequences of these floods, but at the same time allow some flooding. The alternative strategies rely on detention in compartments and on discharge via "green rivers". These strategies were evaluated on their financial impacts (costs and flood damage) and on their impacts on economy, ecology and landscape, as well as on flexibility. The tangible effects, such as costs and damage were calculated using mathematical models; experts awarded scores to the intangibles, such as landscape quality and ecology. It is concluded that the initial costs of the resilience strategies are high whereas the gains, a reduction of the flood risk, will only be perceivable in the long term. On the other hand, the resilience strategies are more flexible and offer more opportunities for nature and landscape development