Week 13: Coastal Hazards

The risk of coastal erosion is high in parts of Belgium. Cities like Ostend and the Flemish region of the country are the most vulnerable. Flanders, the major city in the Flemish region, is exposed to severe flooding because of heavy storms and the rising of the sea level. Another cause of coastal erosion is the past use of hard sea walls.

The affected regions in Belgium have implemented coastal strategic plans to help mitigate current and future coastal erosion. In addition, it was discovered in the 70’s and 80’s that the combination of wave action with the hard sea walls caused greater damage to the beach. Since then, beach nourishments have replaced the hard sea walls causing the waves to break further away preserving the coastline. The strategic plans are divided into two different focuses: green and grey. Green is concentrating on nourishing and keeping the existing beach and foreshore cultures healthy. Grey is concentrating on increased building and maintenance of storm surge barriers, dikes, and storm walls. These plans also integrate coastal safety and designate specific areas for recreation. 

 

References:

https://crisiscenter.be/en/risks-belgium/natural-risks

https://eurogoos.eu/member/agency-for-maritime-services-and-coast-amdk/

https://www.britannica.com/place/Flanders-region-Belgium

https://www.climatechangepost.com/belgium/coastal-erosion/

https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/metadata/case-studies/implementation-of-the-integrated-master-plan-for-coastal-safety-in-flanders