Dike against high water in Rumpenheim

The dyke against flooding in Rumpenheim is finished. It is called the "Main dyke" because Offenbach lies on the Main. The Main is a river. When it rains heavily for many days, a river has a lot of water. This is known as high water. It can happen that the water reaches the houses. This leads to flooding.

The dyke in Rumpenheim has been made higher and stronger. There are mobile walls in some places. This means that the walls are built up quickly when there is high water. Rumpenheim is now better protected against high water and flooding.

In the future, we will have to expect high water more often. It may also be even higher than before. This is due to climate change. Climate change means that the earth's climate is changing. The climate is getting warmer and warmer. There are more and more storms and floods.

It took over 1.5 years to build the new dyke. The city had to take many things into account. For example, they had to check whether the trees were healthy. Some trees had to be removed because they were diseased. But new ones were planted. The city also had to take into account the many old buildings and walls. For example, the former tea house.

It was very expensive to build the new dyke. The construction cost more money than expected. The dyke and the mobile walls in Rumpenheim cost 7.75 million euros. The state of Hesse is paying a very large part of this. Nevertheless, it is cheaper to prevent flood damage than to repair it later. That's why it's worth improving flood protection in the city center as well. Work on the dyke in the city center will start this year.