The Saarland Water Days took place at the HTW Saar from 9th-11th April 2024. The Water Days were organised by the Water Research Group. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alpaslan Yörük and his team, who are also partners in AFaktive, offered an extensive programme. After the opening by the President of the university, Saarland Environment Minister Petra Berg and Prof Yörük, the first day began with moving reports on the flood disaster on the Ahr and Erft rivers in 2021. Ways and means of coping with heavy rainfall and flooding were presented, including political and administrative precautionary measures in Saarland. Furthermore, scientific principles and tools for forecasting through to concrete measures and the challenges of implementing them were also illustrated. In the second lecture block, Jörg Böhmer from IfaS presented various practical approaches, research results and the need for action to utilise agroforestry systems as a building block for improved heavy rainfall and flood protection under the title “Agroforestry as an interface between water and agriculture”. He also explained the objectives and current status of the AFaktive LIFE project as well as the starting points for a pilot project in Saarland. Initial discussions with the agricultural sector have been successfully initiated and now the implementation in pilot areas is being planned. According to Böhmer, the municipalities and the state government will then be called upon to put the topic on a broader footing and support more farms in its implementation. In this way, more water could ultimately be retained, the soil could be protected from erosion and the villages from flooding.
The television channel SR3 reported on the event: https://www.sr.de
