Duisburg plans to conduct a practice session for flash flood barriers

In the heart of the Rhine-Ruhr region, Duisburg recently hosted a significant flood exercise as part of the EU-wide project "Flash Flood Breaker". The event, which took place on September 6, 2025, involved over 350 personnel and attracted the attention of emergency services from Duisburg, Dinslaken, Oberhausen, and Krefeld, as well as the Bundeswehr, THW, and experts.

The exercise aimed to test the city's flood defences, particularly in high-risk areas prone to flooding due to the Rhine, densely built-up settlements, and many polder areas. One innovative method employed was the use of filled water aquariums, each holding tons and serving as a barrier in case of flooding.

Christian von Spizcak, head of Duisburg's crisis management, oversaw the exercise to ensure everything ran smoothly in an emergency. The water board from the Netherlands observed the event to learn from the German forces.

Fifty giant orange tons, along with 170-meter-long hoses and pumps, were prepared further down the Rhine to create a stable barrier for an emergency. Basins and hoses were used to divert pumped-out water from the Rhine into these tons, each holding twenty cubic meters of water.

Heavy rain in Duisburg needs to be pumped out via the sewage system due to mining-induced ground sinking in some places. Thomas Griebe from the Duisburg Environmental Agency plans to invest 57 million euros in the renovation of the dykes to better manage such situations.

The local news from Duisburg will report on this topic on 08.09.2025 at 19.30. For those unable to attend, the exercise in Duisburg is available online on Studios NRW's website until September 6, 2027.

The international project "Flash Flood Breaker" is being led by the Emscher-Lippe cooperative. Despite extensive research, no relevant search results could be found identifying any organization involved in the project scheduled for September 6, 2025, in Duisburg.

In conclusion, the flood exercise in Duisburg was a collaborative effort between various emergency services, the Dutch water board, and the Emscher-Lippe cooperative, aiming to improve flood defences and emergency response strategies in the Rhine-Ruhr region. The investment in dyke renovation and the innovative use of filled water aquariums as flood barriers demonstrate a proactive approach to addressing the challenges posed by the Rhine and densely built-up settlements.