Urban flooding slowly becomes a priority issue for Switzerland

Climate change is pushing Switzerland to change the way it handles urban flooding. As flood risks grow, cities and towns are implementing innovative ways to mitigate the risks. For many older people in Melchnau, a 1500-inhabitant village in canton Bern, the year 1986 will never be forgotten. They all went through what could be called “a collective trauma” to overcome the flood damage. Christian Eicher, a retired civil engineer who spent much of his career working on flood control and urban drainage, told SWI swissinfo.ch that according to historic news records, on June 20 that year, the local area received an extremely heavy thunderstorm. “The streets of Melchnau flooded, as more than 50mm of rain fell per hour. Houses and meadows flooded and roads were ripped open. The major urban throughfare was swamped by up to one metre of water.” “In 1986, the local government had little experience in preparing an urban flood-management plan and had no idea how much its implementation would cost.