Labels make climate risks clearer

Published on: 2/17/22

Climate change means that floods, heavy rainfall and extremely long periods of drought are becoming more frequent. Collecting rainwater and allowing it to infiltrate the ground is a focal point for many municipalities. To ensure that as much rainwater as possible is collected, private properties – for example, gardens – should be used in addition to public areas. In doing this, municipalities are partly dependent on residents. The IkBenWaterproof.nl website gives personalised advice to residents about their properties, based on flooding and waterlogging labels. The website is Dutch.

At a glance

The labels make the climate risks for homes clear at a glance. Homes being assigned a label means residents can easily see which climate risks are applicable to their location. With an A label, you are least at risk; with an F label, you are most at risk.

Labels’ meanings

Residents are not required to make abstract calculations on recurrence rates and water depths themselves. For the waterlogging label, we use publicly available data that indicates water depth during short periods of heavy rainfall. These are simulations of showers during which 70-140 mm water falls within 2 hours. The label is based on the amount of water, in centimetres, that falls on a property during such showers.

We have done the same for the flooding label. This can be seen in the video above. The water depth during a simulated flood determines the label, in combination with the probability of such a depth occurring.

Is your property at risk?

IkBenWaterproof.nl gives residents an indication of the risks they face in terms of flooding and waterlogging, and it provides information on the many measures they can take. We distinguish between two types of measures: those that contribute to the collection of (rain)water, and those that reduce water damage inside the home. After filling in some basic data about their house on IkBenWaterproof.nl, residents are given instant advice on risks and measures.

Scientifically supported

The labels are based on various datasets, and a number of important choices are made to determine which label fits which home. These choices are based on scientific research conducted at Utrecht University. Read more about it here (Dutch).