Wasser

In August 2002, Saxony was hit by a region-wide flood disaster. The Elbe and Mulde rivers and the tributary streams in the Osterzgebirge mountains were worst hit by the flooding. Torrential rain on 12 and 13 August 2002 caused flash floods in the mountains. The consequences were devastating: valleys were flooded and filled with mud and boulders; houses, roads and cultural heritage were destroyed. The damage caused by flooding, estimated at over 1 billion euros* alone in the area surrounding the streams in the Osterzgebirge mountains, once again demonstrated the vulnerability of our living environment.

Immediately after the flood, the Saxon State Office for Environment and Geology began an event analysis of the streams in the Osterzgebirge mountains, which had been particularly badly affected by the flood. Right from the beginning, the State Office co-operated closely with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. The project received financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC). The extent of the catastrophe was such that a thorough review of the flood control scheme in Saxony was initiated. The analysis of the flood included a thorough examination and documentation of the event.

The Management Report was used to draw a series of conclusions, which subsequently formed the basis for developing a sustainable flood control scheme in Saxony. The purpose of such a scheme is to prevent floods like that in August 2002 with catastrophic consequences for the state and its people. The Management Report summarises the most important findings and conclusions of this event analysis.

For more information see full report below.

^{* Please note that billion means here thousand million.}