Vienna: Cooperative apartment becomes a flood zone with every rain!

Vienna: Cooperative apartment becomes a flood zone with every rain!

In the 22nd district of Vienna, the residential complex in Zschokkegasse faces a serious challenge. "With every heavy rain, our house becomes a flood zone," complains Andrea B. (54 years), who has lived in a cooperative apartment with her husband for 30 years. Around 250 apartments are affected, with many wooden balconies and glass roofs that are nice to look at, but become traps in heavy rain.

The problem has been known for 25 years. Water penetrates the passage through the gutters, and the water is ankle -deep even in moderate rain. Tenants desperately try to eliminate the penetrating water with brooms and buckets. It gets even worse when violent thunderstorms pull across the quarter. Andreas Mann recently plunged in the water in the water and broke his arm. One wonders: how long can it go well?

a problem that does not disappear

The cooperative administration, the EBG (non-profit single and multi-family houses building cooperative), is informed about the precarious Situation. Managing Director Alexander Glettig emphasizes that the solution is complex and complex. "The building was built 30 years ago and corresponds to the norms at that time. But the extreme weather events have increased in recent years," he explains. According to investigations, insufficient drainage is the main cause, which requires an expansion of the drainage system. For this, additional residence basins and larger shafts are necessary to master the water.

climate change not only leads to an increase in extreme weather events in Vienna, but worldwide. These events, such as heavy rain and floods, are anything but normal and threaten the livelihoods of many people. This also presents the political system for challenges, because the far -reaching social and economic consequences cannot be ignored.

A new report by the World Climate District (IPCC) emphasizes that the surface temperature of the earth increases faster than ever. As a result, coastal flooding could occur annually, which previously only occurred in 100 years. Humanity itself is the main cause of these climatic changes, and therefore it is all the more important to act quickly.

The tenants take things into their hand

Back in Zschokegasse. They build provisional flood protection barriers and cover their balconies with tarpaulins. Even if the property management is to implement measures this year, the tenant's patience is at the end. "We can no longer live that way," says Andrea B. resigned.

But climate change is a global problem. In regions such as the horn of Africa, people regularly struggle with drought or floods. These extreme weather conditions, for example, led to humanitarian crises and crop failures in 2010 to 2012. In Bangladesh too, floods have long been the order of the day. Such global phenomena make it clear: the local problem is part of a much larger whole that is tightened by human action.

Time urges to minimize the increasing risk of floods due to more intensive precipitation. The tenants in the Zschokegasse not only earn an answer to their problems, but also a piece of hope for a more stable climate.

For further information on extreme weather events and their causes and solutions, visit [climate knowledge.de] (https://klima-wissen.de/extremes-wetter-urfe- Folgen-und-loosungen/) or take a look at the results of the [Wwf-report] (https://www.wwf.de/themen-projekte/klimapolitik-international/klimaf research-extremwetter-sind-folgen-des-des-des-des-des-des-des

This situation in Vienna is a strong example of how climate change not only affects far away countries, but can also be felt here on our doorstep.