"You all are doing an important job"
- By this flood disaster, Hamburg learned just how important flood protection is, especially for urban regions, and especially for Hamburg, says Renate Taugs, the Head of the Directorate General for Environmental Protection in Hamburg.
Since then, no more housing has been permitted outside of the dikes or in storm flood hazard areas.
- In my responsibility - beside others - is the “Water Management” department, which is Hamburg’s supreme water authority. We have to implement European directives such as the Water Framework Directive and the Bathing Water Directive as well as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. Our Ministerial tasks include protection against flooding, surface water and groundwater protection as well as protection of Hamburg’s coastal waters.
Especially in the field of flood protection Directorate General for Environmental Protection in Hamburg are in close connection with their colleagues of the Agency of Roads, Bridges and Water here in Hamburg.
- They are – in a way – our operative unit for planning, management and implementation of the flood protection construction program. The fields of water management, flood protection and climate change are the focus of our livable growing city. And that’s our motivation why Hamburg participates in many national and international projects.
Renate Taugs continues:
- Your FAIR project, which deals with the adaptation to future challenges, the optimization of our flood protection systems and also economic issues, provides the framework for a network of international specialists from science and users. So it is from my point of view a highly important and most welcome contribution for our city to be sustainable. You all are doing an important job in this context.