The Ministry of the Environment is funding the development of an early warning system for flood and heavy rainfall events as part of the "Blies Climate Hazard Defence System" (KLIGAS) project. It is providing 52,965 euros for the first phase of the project. Minister Petra Berg, Udo Recktenwald, the District Administrator of St. Wendel, Sören Meng, the District Administrator of Neunkirchen, Andreas Motsch, the Head of the Central Control, Security and Order Division of the Saarpfalz district, Dirk Schäfer, the Head of the Disaster Control Office of the district of Sankt Wendel, and Professor Alpaslan Yörük (htw saar) presented the project at the Disaster Control Centre of the district of St. Wendel.
"The Whitsun floods made us all realise the dangers that heavy rainfall can bring. In the coming years, we will have to prepare for an increase in heavy rainfall and flooding events, so cities and municipalities will have to take appropriate measures to prepare for this," says Minister Berg. "We have therefore launched the KLIGAS project together with three districts, laying the foundations for a state-wide early warning system. The aim of the project is to provide early warning of hazardous situations, take appropriate measures and thus minimise damage."
The KLIGAS project consists of three stages. In the first phase, the pilot districts of St. Wendel, Neunkirchen and the Saarpfalz district are setting up independent early warning systems. The team led by Professor Dr Alpaslan Yörük from htw saar, which conducts research into hydraulic engineering and water management, is supporting them in this.
"Our disaster control centre is the first of its kind in Saarland and is optimally equipped both professionally and technically. This emphasises the importance of civil protection in our district and in the greater region. The pilot project will be an important milestone in the further development of the district's security architecture," explains District Administrator Udo Recktenwald. "As part of the project, the team will develop and test innovative procedures that have not yet been used in such systems. The project is thus taking on a pioneering role throughout Germany. We are proud that we are contributing to the development of the early warning system with the expertise of our disaster control centre."
The Delft-FEWS software is used here, which collates the existing measurement systems and data in each district, including water levels, radar data, precipitation measurements and measurement data from the State Office for Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety, and derives warning criteria from this.
In the second phase of the project, all three systems are to be brought together to develop a joint, innovative early warning system. The new technology will be based on artificial intelligence (AI). The special feature: The training and test data are not only measured values from the past, but also simulated figures that can also take into account changes due to climate change. Real catchment area models are used to calculate many different flood and heavy rainfall scenarios in order to create a large database for the AI. In an emergency, the AI can use this data to quickly create a realistic forecast of flooding areas and water levels so that emergency services can make appropriate preparations as early as possible. The fact that flooding can be predicted not only from current weather data, but also from medium-term forecasts from the German Weather Service, which currently play hardly any role in such systems, is another special feature that brings the warning even further "ahead" of the event.
"As flooding does not stop at the borders of the districts, we are working closely and in partnership with the two neighbouring districts and the state. The resulting synergy effects are an asset from which all participating municipalities will benefit in terms of flood protection," explains District Administrator Sören Meng. "The data will help us to take protective measures earlier and minimise damage."
"We are delighted to be able to work on the technology together with St. Wendel and Neunkirchen during the pilot phase. The experience we will gain over the next few months will be an important step for us in assessing how such a system can be established in our municipalities," emphasises Andreas Motsch. "We are therefore also grateful for the exchange of experience with neighbouring districts, but also with Professor Yörük's research group, which is supporting us with its technical expertise."
The joint system will then serve as a blueprint for developing a nationwide early warning system. The Ministry of the Environment is funding the three districts with 17,655 euros each in the first phase of the project. Minister Petra Berg presented the grant notifications at the disaster control centre.
Source: Press release 30 /2025 of the Ministry of the Environment of 20 March