Parliament wants integrated flood risk management
Published: Thursday, Feb 29th 2024, 12:11
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The Swiss parliament is responding to climate change and settlement growth in Switzerland. Following the National Council, the Council of States is also in favor of legally anchoring flood risk management in the Federal Hydraulic Engineering Act.
On Thursday, the small chamber unanimously approved a partial revision of this law submitted by the Federal Council, after the National Council had also unanimously approved it in September. However, differences still remain, which is why the bill will go back to the National Council.
The Federal Council presented it a year ago in March and said at the time that the focus had shifted from hazard prevention to integral risk management.
In the Council of States, committee spokesman Beat Rieder (center/VS) said that with this bill, the federal parliament was carrying out what was already largely being implemented in the field by those responsible. The partial revision would not fundamentally change the direction of hydraulic engineering.
On Thursday, the Council of States included a provision introduced by the National Council on newly designed stretches of watercourse in the draft bill. However, it amended it slightly. According to its spokesperson Rieder, the responsible Council of States committee found the wording of the National Council unclear.
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