Stress test in the municipalities of Groningen and Ten Boer

The stress test was given the go-ahead in April 2018. During the meeting, which was attended by municipal staff and residents of the two municipalities, weatherman Gerrit Hiemstra engaged the audience in his report on the “new climate” and how we can prepare for its consequences.

Sweco engineering consultancy has conducted a broad-based stress test to explore how climate change would impact water management, nature policies, mobility, social policies, and public health in the two municipalities in the province of Groningen. In addition, the stress test zoomed in on urgent risks, such as health risks caused by high temperatures and reduced mobility as a result of waterlogging.

During the stress test, the municipal authorities and Sweco staff collaborated closely with the Hunze en Aa’s and Noorderzijlvest district water boards, and with the province of Groningen. Local businesses and institutions were also involved in the studies. After all, the changing climate is going to affect the entire community.

One overarching issue is to generate awareness. The municipalities were committed to garnering real interest among the stakeholders in the relevant sectors, from the very start, for participation in the stress test. The next step involved raising awareness among the stakeholders regarding the importance of acquiring collective insight into the risks, impact, and priorities. For this reason, the broad-based start-up session was followed by several risk dialogues. These interactive sessions were focused on exploring, together with the organisations involved, the impact of waterlogging, heat stress, dehydration, and extreme weather conditions on the municipalities of Groningen and Ten Boer.  Each organisation involved thus gained insight into potential risks.

Results

The extensive analysis (pdf, 6.3 MB) has provided insight into vulnerabilities in terms of waterlogging, drought, urban flooding, and heat.

The national government has stipulated that by no later than 2020, every municipality must have drawn up a plan for its own region, indicating where investments are required in order to properly adapt to the impact of climate change. The stress test constitutes the first step in the development of the full programme. The next step involves prioritising the risks and developing an implementation programme.

Contact person

Martin Haan
Sweco Nederland B.V.
Martin.haan@sweco.nl 
0610135557