New pilot project

“Ramon” to protect Styrians from flooding

Severe flooding occurred in the Pischelsdorf area as recently as Tuesday.(Bild: BFV Weiz)

Styria is now also relying on digitalization in flood protection. All 150 retention basins in the province are now being equipped with the new "Ramon" system - this should enable the emergency services to react even more quickly in an emergency in future. 

Just last Tuesday, severe storms in large parts of Styria resulted in the busiest day of the year to date - the fire departments had to deal with 261 incidents. The district of Weiz and the Mürzzuschlag area were particularly affected by flooding. In order to be better protected against such weather extremes in the future, the province of Styria will provide 55 million euros this year alone. "We will continue to invest in preventative measures and expand and modernize flood protection," explains Governor Christopher Drexler (ÖVP).

Provincial Councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer saw the damage caused by the floods for herself.(Bild: Lebensressort)

"Ramon" works automatically
One of these measures is the "Ramon" pilot project, which was put out to tender across Europe - all 150 Styrian retention basins will be equipped with measuring and alarm technology. The water levels are monitored automatically using radar and pressure probes. If the specified threshold values are exceeded, "Ramon" alerts the emergency services. And that's not all: to verify the alarm message, a photo of the situation on site is also transmitted.

The "Ramon" test facility is located in Sebersdorf, and all 150 retention basins are to be equipped with the sensors in future.(Bild: OTT HydroMet)

"This will increase the safety of the facilities," explains water councillor and Drexler's party colleague Simone Schmiedtbauer. "In addition, the response time is much faster and the necessary measures to protect the population can be taken even more quickly. We must not forget that in the last few days alone, our existing retention basins have prevented damage amounting to around six million euros."

"Milestone" for Styrian flood protection
By permanently recording all water levels, flood events can also be better documented and integrated into future risk analyses. "The implementation of 'Ramon' is a milestone for flood risk management in Styria," says Christoph Schlacher, Head of Protective Water Management and Flood Risk Management Coordinator for the province, who is also looking forward to "Ramon". The costs of two million euros are being borne equally by the Province of Styria (Schmiedtbauer department) and the Ministry of Agriculture.