Graduate Intern Multi-Layered Flood Safety

MSc Thesis: “Cost-effectiveness multi-layered flood safety in the Netherlands”

The risk-based system of flood safety standards in the Netherlands for primary flood defences is based on a required basic level of flood safety and cost-optimisation between investments in measures. Based on the newly enacted flood safety standards, the Dutch national flood safety program (“Hoogwaterbeschermingsprogramma”) will reinforce flood protection systems all over the Netherlands during the coming decades.

The Netherlands focuses mainly on flood prevention, there are however other options to reduce flood risks in the hinterland, they can be described by a concept called multi-layered flood safety (“Meerlaagsveiligheid”). Next to prevention (layer 1), this approach includes spatial planning (layer 2), and emergency response measures (layer 3). Through an exchange decision (“Uitwisselbesluit”), budget reserved for dike reinforcement can be used to fund these measures. This was recently used in the dike reinforcement project Schieland and Krimpenerwaard to lower the probability of failure of the Hollandsche IJssel-kering.

Earlier theses conducted at Royal HaskoningDHV have shown that measures in the second or the third layer are technically able to overcome flood risks: see Nannenberg (2019), Klein Wolterink (2022), and Schippers (2023). However, the cost-effectiveness of these second- or third-layer measures was not researched in detail. Even though the investigated measures can reduce flood risk (locally) at lower costs than dike reinforcement, it is unclear how the cost-effectiveness can be described best. The multi-layered flood safety approach will become more interesting for Water Authorities if it turns out to be more cost-effective to replace (parts of) dike reinforcements by other measures. We would like to know if there is a business-case for this.

What you do as a Graduate Intern Multi-Layered Flood Safety

We want to challenge you to determine the cost-effectiveness of specific measures from the multi-layered flood safety approach. Since these measures might affect the safety standards, we would like to compare them to the costs of dike reinforcements. For a start, it must be determined how the cost-effectiveness of measures can be described. By allocating money to second- or third-layer measures, the monetary resources will be spread out, does this affect the societal cost-benefit analysis? Does this reduction of price on the dike reinforcement lead to a more cost-effective usage of resources?

Where you will work

Royal HaskoningDHV is a worldwide independent engineering, project management, and consultancy firm which integrates 140 years of engineering expertise with digital technologies and software solutions. Our 6,000 colleagues are working from offices in more than 25 countries across the world. Through our mission “Enhancing Society Together”, we take responsibility for having a positive impact on the world.

You will become part of the team Resilience & Maritime the Netherlands. This team consists of around 230 colleagues and is based in the Netherlands across three offices (Rotterdam, Amersfoort, and Nijmegen). As a team, we excel in a wide variety of services and skills in the fields of climate resilience and maritime developments. We provide our clients, both private and (semi)governmental, with a range of services throughout the various phases of a project: from inception, through master planning, feasibility, design all the way to construction supervision. We have a strong foothold in the Netherlands, but we operate worldwide.

What you bring

You are a MSc student with educational track relevant to this topic, such as Civil Engineering. Besides that, you:

• are available to work full-time on your thesis
• interested in multi-layered flood safety
• are proficient in both English and Dutch [because of the nature of this vacancy, Dutch level at least (C1) is a requirement]
• are interested in working at a consultancy firm in the future

What we offer you

During your time at Royal HaskoningDHV, you will learn what it is like to work in a consultancy firm. More specifically, you will learn the kind of projects implemented by the advisory group Resilience & Maritime NL. You will be fully part of the team and as such, you are invited to participate in all team activities both project related and social activities. You will also receive a monthly allowance. You will be based in one of our Dutch offices, with direct support from our experts based in these offices.