Speed up river flow downstream and increase the
flood risk Expensive
Leisure users
Environmentalists
Flood relief channel
Greatly reduces the flood risk
Very expensive
May encourage a false sense of security
Those living downstream where the flood risk
is decreased
People who own land affected by the development
Making course straighter and shorter
Relatively cheap
Needs to be maintained
Industry benefits from reduced transport costs
Environmentalists: damages channel and bank
ecosystems
Strengthening levées
Existing land uses can be maintained
Need maintenance. Not sustainable in the long term
Existing land users
Those living downstream where the flood risk
is increased
Flood retention basins
Store water at times of flood risk
Requires international co-operation. Land use
restricted to recreational, pasture or forestry
Those living downstream where the flood risk
is decreased
Those people affected by the occasional flooding
e.g. hunters
Flood proofing
Reduces damage
May create a false sense of security
People who can remain at their site
People with businesses located on the floodplain
where damage cannot be reduced e.g. market gardening
Soft
Engineering
Afforestation
Trees delay runoff and reduce the amount of water
reaching the river
Forests generate little income
Conservationists
Farmers who have to convert their land to woodland
Floodplain land use zoning
Low cost for undeveloped areas of floodplain. Some
industrial land users require a floodplain location
Existing floodplain damages are not reduced.
Industry may locate elsewhere
Conservationists
Leisure users
Local council, since the zoned land generates few
jobs or tax income
Room for the river
Based on the idea that a change in one part of the
river system will cause knock-on effects downstream. Sustainable
This solution would require a great degree of
co-operation among the authorities in the countries through which the Rhine and
its tributaries flow. Very expensive. Slow to take effect
Conservationists: flood prevention and ecosystem
conservation given equal consideration
