5: Flooding - Environmental risk due to flooding

Environmental risk due to flooding 

Many people can still remember a chemical accident in 1986 that lead to the worst ecological disaster so far on the Rhine. At that time, due to a fire at the Swiss company Sandoz, huge amounts of contaminated fire water flowed into the Rhine. The consequence was that all eels and several other types of fish and plants were killed in an area of more than 400 kilometres. Drinking water from the Rhine was forbidden for three weeks. If Godorf Harbour is developed, greater amounts of hazardous substances would be delivered there. In case of floods, these must be evacuated fast and with a lot of effort. If not all hazardous materials can be moved to a safe place on time, there is the danger of a similar catastrophe happening as that which followed the Sandoz accident.

Some residents fear that the danger of flooding around Godorf Harbour and the Sürth Plain will continue to increase due to the development of the harbour and the sealing of a natural floodplain. You can find out why this is a risk if you have a look at how floods can occur.