More than half of buildings in Switzerland at flood risk

Currently, Switzerland’s mountain regions are suffering badly from flooding following thunderstorms and exceptionally heavy rain. However, Switzerland’s plateau is not immune to flooding, reported SRF. New calculations suggest more than half of Switzerland’s buildings are at risk of being damaged by storms and floods.

As the climate changes, devastating thunderstorms are becoming more frequent everywhere, said Olivia Romppainen, co-director of the Mobiliar Lab for Natural Risks at the University of Bern. A one degree rise in air temperature increases its moisture carrying capacity by seven percent.

A key problem is water absorption. When so much rain falls quickly the ground cannot absorb it leaving it to flow off the surface. The potential damage that could be caused by such surface water run off is potentially far higher than regular flooding, according to the expert. A total of 1.3 million buildings valued at CHF 2.3 trillion are at risk in Switzerland. Surface run off can damage basements and underground facilities. Even 5-10 cm deep water flows can be very damaging.

Few cantonal authorities currently require protective measures against surface water run off.

This could begin to change as such weather events become more frequent. Insurance companies are likely to call for better protection.

More on this:
SRF article (in German)

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