Adaptive Land use for Flood Alleviation (ALFA)

Description:

ALFA stands for ‘Adaptive Land use for Flood Alleviation’. It is an EU-funded project (INTERREG IVB NWE) which aims to protect citizens in the North West Europe region against the effects of the risk of flooding due to climate change. This will be done by creating new capacity for water storage or discharge of peak floods within river catchments in Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom and The Netherlands.

Partners of the ALFA project can learn from each others’ flood management approaches and land use concepts. The project focuses on flood adaptation measures and interventions in one area to protect another area which is more vulnerable from an economic, social and/or ecological perspective. The vulnerable area can be either an urban or a rural area, situated up- or downstream of the project area.

New capacity for water storage or discharge will reduce the impact of climate change effects. For example, new floodplains will be created in areas that have not been flooded recently. These project areas will only be flooded in extreme situations to protect citizens in more vulnerable areas up- or downstream from the project areas. Therefore, the present land use functions in these areas will be retained as much as possible. Optimal combinations have to be found between river and other functions, such as agricultural land use, recreation and nature preservation or development.

ALFA is one of the approved transnational projects in the SIC adapt! Cluster. SIC adapt! is a Strategic Initiative Cluster (SIC) of the INTERREG IV B North West Europe (NWE) Programme dealing with adaptation to the impacts of climate change. Eight approved transnational projects originating from seven Member States of the NWE Programme with around 100 partner organisations involved joining public authorities from all levels, scientific institutions, non profit and private organisations.

Project information

Lead

Directoraat-Generaal Rijkswaterstaat (NL)Ms. Prisca Haemers

Partners

Programme Directorate Room for the River of the Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management (NL), Flemish Environment Agency (BE), Emschergenossenschaft (DE), Struktur- und Genehmigungsdirektion Süd (DE), EPTB Seine Grands Lacs (FR), Eden Rivers Trust (UK), Durham University (UK), Environment Agency of England and Wales (UK)

Source of funding

Interreg IV B Northwest Europe