The study explores the potential impact of accelerated sea level rise on coastal flood risk in the Netherlands, particularly focusing on the Plan B NL2200 approach. Sea levels are expected to rise faster than initially thought due to factors like Antarctica's melting ice. The Sea Level Rise Knowledge Program in the Netherlands investigates consequences and mitigation strategies, including the categories 'protect-open,' 'protect-closed,' 'advance,' and 'accommodate.' The research compares the effectiveness of multiple spatial adaptation strategies, with a specific emphasis on the Plan B NL2200 approach, which envisions a Netherlands without dikes.

The study analyzes various spatial adaptation strategies, while focusing on extreme sea level rise and storm surge conditions, using a probabilistic model. The first part evaluates different spatial adaptation strategies in an idealized coastal polder, considering factors like spatial impact and flood risk mitigation. Findings suggest that strategies involving complete dike reinforcement are effective in reducing flood risk. The second part applies these strategies to the real case study of Walcheren, comparing damage, casualties, and affected people. The results indicate that the plain dike-ring strategy with an increased safety standard (P2) is the most cost-effective for preserving Walcheren entirely.

Regarding the Plan B NL2200 approach, the study concludes that, for Walcheren, it does not perform as the best strategy. The primary dike-ring strategy with tightened safety standards is more effective due to lower costs, reduced risks, and no land relinquishment. The study recommends maintaining the current strategy for reinforcing primary dikes while enhancing safety standards to protect Walcheren, including Middelburg and Vlissingen. However, the findings may not directly apply to other Dutch coastal areas due to location-specific factors, urging further research, including sensitivity analyses, exploration of additional spatial adaptation strategies, and consideration of societal aspects related to the Plan B approach. ... Read more

In many places in Uganda, people do not have a connection to the drinking water supply system and there is a lack of treated water supply, meaning that people only have access to water a certain part of the day. As a result many people rely on springs, handpumps, rivers or lakes, of which the quality cannot be monitored or controlled.

During this multi-disciplinary project, we worked together with the National Water & Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) and the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) to research the possibilities of extending the water supply system of two project areas, Bugiri District and Hoima City. The current water supply in both areas use groundwater as a source and the possibilities for the extension also consider using surface water besides groundwater.

The different alternatives for the extension of the water supply in Hoima City and Bugiri District are evaluated using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA), consisting of a financial analysis, a performance analysis and a risk analysis. By evaluating the different options using an MCA, the decision-making process can become less complicated.

The MCA-tool that is set up in this research can be used by engineers to study different areas in Uganda and make it easier to compare different options for the extension of a drinking water supply system in an early design stage. The tool is for the two project areas as examples, after which it is also tested during a case study with engineers from both NWSC and MWE. Useful feedback came out of this session which will be used to finalize the tool and elaborate on it.

To design the different alternatives for the project areas and to get insight into the drinking water supply of Uganda, Hoima and Bugiri are visited at the beginning of the project.

For both project areas, it is recommended to improve the operational performance of the already existing groundwater supply system as a short-term (5 years) solution. The long-term (25 years) solutions consider groundwater options as well as surface water options, using for example Lake Victoria, Lake Albert and River Nile as water sources.


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