Answer: With warmer and dryer summers, the demand for irrigation increases. We must therefore ensure that as much as possible of the expected increased rainfall is directed down into the groundwater basins via percolation, rather than directly into the sea via the sewer systems. Planning authorities must incorporate possibilities for nature restoration and for rainwater collection, reuse and percolation in cities.
Answer: In certain areas in the coastal zone, building and construction could be affected by higher sea levels in future. The first task is therefore to ascertain which areas could be at risk of flooding in connection with future storm surges. This includes both built-up areas and areas for which development is being planned. Existing buildings and technical installations can in most cases be secured by dykes or other forms of defensive structure. Municipalities can take into account a rising sea level in local planning, e.g. by establishing provisions on where and at which terrain height a building may be erected. The authorities can also establish provisions on which areas are to be kept free of new building due to risk of e.g. flooding.
Answer: Buildings in low-lying areas, close to rivers and watercourses, could be affected by more powerful cloudbursts in future. The first task is therefore to ascertain which areas could be at risk of flooding. This includes both built-up areas and areas for which development is being planned. The next task is to find systems to manage the increasing amounts of rainfall so that the water is delayed, can evaporate or can percolate into the ground before the sewers overflow and flooding occurs in the wrong places. Other solutions to be considered are the restoration of rivers and watercourses, for example re-meandering and nature restoration of wetlands situated near watercourses, which can serve as a water delay and make controlled flooding possible in connection with high water levels.