What is a GE-RM?
GE-RM stands for “River Development and Risk Management Concept” (“Gewässerentwicklungs- und Risikomanagementkonzept”). It is a planning instrument for coordinating measures in river basins or for long river sections.
The planning process considers:
- objectives, priorities and measures of the National Flood Risk Management Plan (FRMP) and the National River Basin Management Plan (RBMP)
- spatial planning, construction law, disaster control, nature conservation and other technical departments and authorities and – as needed –
- other users and affected persons in the river basin.
The River Development and Risk Management Concept (GE-RM) includes the following steps:
- Preliminary study: with respect to economic planning, existing data is reviewed and the scope of work is defined for subsequent processing.
- Additional surveys in order to supplement missing data as far as they are needed for the definition of deficits, objectives and measures.
- Target definitions: Deficits become visible by interlinking the collected data with the objectives of flood protection and river ecology. Integrative guiding principles are developed as basis for a joint target definition.
- Finally, the concept of measures describes the future actions in the planning area on the basis of a nationwide catalogue of measures and prioritises them.
GE-RM planning processes are primarily implemented for water bodies or river basins with a need for action with regard to flood risk management and river ecology. In addition to the hazard situation, the ecological status of the water body and other framework conditions such as existing uses and rights, land use plans, etc. are also taken into account. Based on data analysis, interdisciplinary goals and measures are defined. These provide the basis for subsequent actions and measures in the river basin.