Head:
Address:
Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT)
Institute for Water and Environment
- Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management -
Kaiserstrasse 12
76131 Karlsruhe
Phone: +49 (0)721 - 608-44418
Email: wasserbau∂iwu.kit.edu
Visiting address:
The challenges facing water managers and engineers nowadays are manifold, complex, and require cross disciplinary approaches. These challenges include the safety of hydraulic natural and built systems, ageing infrastructures, pollution, guarantee of energy and food security, sustainable development and safety of urban environment, ecological feedbacks and an uncertain future.
Our group develops research towards engineering solutions for the design, the planning and the implementation of sustainable water infrastructures prepared for global change. We investigate the mechanics of flowing water and its interaction with key elements of a river basin such as sediments, dissolved matter, gases, living organisms and people. More specifically, the group is committed to develop research on four main topics: sustainable and secure water for supply, food and energy; adaptive and multi-functional hydraulic systems; healthy rivers; and geophysical processes in rivers and lakes.
On 16 October, Mário Franca gave a seminar titled “Transport Mechanics of Debris in Rivers and Urban Floods: Plastic Pollution and Risk Management” at the Research Group of Prof. Junqiang Xia of the School of Water Resources & Hydropower Engineering of the Wuhan University in China.
He presented highlights of our recent research on debris transport, from plastic pollution in rivers to the role of floating debris in urban flood risk, and shared a roadmap for integrating debris dynamics into flood risk management.
Link to the presentation: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/416235778_Transport_Mechanics_of_Debris_in_Rivers_and_Urban_Floods_Plastic_Pollution_and_Risk_Management
On 5th October 2026, we celebrated our colleague Dr. Andreas Kron's 25th anniversary in public service.
Andreas studied civil engineering at the Universities of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, graduating as Dipl.-Ing. in 1995. Since then he has worked at the University of Karlsruhe and later KIT, apart from two years with a flood protection company. In 2007 he received his doctorate (Dr.-Ing.) with a thesis on flood risk. That same year he became head of the Civil Engineering Internship Office, and since 2008 he has served as Managing Director of the KIT-Department of Civil Engineering, Geo and Environmental Sciences, where he has played a key part in shaping the department's organization. We appreciate Andreas as a reliable, friendly and helpful colleague who always supports students and colleagues with great patience.
Dear Andreas, we warmly thank you for your long-standing commitment and wish you continued success and all the best for the years ahead!
The publication Urban flood drifters (UFD): Identification, classification and characterisation, co-authored by Mário Franca and colleagues Arnau Bayón from the Universitat Politècnica de València and Daniel Valero from Imperial College London, was distinguished as the Journal of Flood Risk Management Best Paper Award 2025, an award supported by the British Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM). See the news here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/1753318x/homepage/best-paper-award
Quote from the editors on the winner:
“This excellent paper addresses an important issue in flood risk management, combining novel science and practical impact. It is also written in an easily understood style with strong conclusions. Overall, it exemplifies the research and impact approach that the journal aims to promote.” Photo: Arnau Bayón
As part of her current research project, Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) in Mediterranean-Climate Regions: Drivers, Enablers, Barriers, and Lessons from Real-World Implementation, Dr. Abby Ortega visited the Future Water Institute at the University of Cape Town from 15–17 September. In addition to giving a seminar presentation, she visited an NbS research and innovation site that includes a plant nursery, a locally managed urban garden, and a decentralised NbS water treatment and reuse system for irrigation and edible crops. As Cape Town is located in a Mediterranean-climate region, the visit also provided an opportunity to conduct field observations and semi-structured interviews, offering valuable insights into NbS implementation in practice.
From 8–10 September, the workshop Climate Change and Mental Health: Comparative Risk Pathways, Vulnerability, and Resilience, organised by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Academy of Science of South Africa, took place in Pretoria, South Africa. Dr. Abby Ortega from our institute participated in one of the panel discussions, presenting Nature-based Solutions and Mental Health: Exploring the Resilience-Building Potential of Urban Green Spaces. The three-day workshop brought together researchers from diverse fields and culminated in a joint policy brief translating scientific evidence into actionable recommendations for integrating mental health into climate change policies.
On 09.-11.09.2026 the 25th YP Meeting of German-speaking Institutes for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management took place, which was hosted by the Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management at University Duisburg-Essen this year.
During the poster session Daniel Beetz presented the work at IWU-WB on overload behavior of bridges in extreme flood events. This versatile session was a perfect basis for engaging discussions. Besides, Ruhrverband and Emschergenossenschaft / Lippeverband supported the meeting by providing insights into different local hydraulic structures such as the Baldeney weir with its fish lift, which was investigated in ethohydraulic experiments at IWU-WB during its planning phase, and the restoration of the River Emscher with its revitalized confluence and the pump station Oberhausen.
We would like to thank this year’s organizing committee for the great meeting and all participants for the motivating and enriching discussions.
