Sweco Belgium

Using water as an ally in climate adaptation

In August, water takes centre stage at Sweco. We look at water as a system, because water does not stop at the plot boundary, the discharge pipe or the edge of an industrial estate. Every intervention has an impact on the wider water cycle: from precipitation, infiltration and groundwater to process water, wastewater, surface water and reuse.
Today, we explore the key role water plays in climate adaptation.

The future of water management lies in coalitions,
data and systems thinking

Water is making it increasingly clear how quickly the climate is changing and what this means for our living environment: storms are becoming more intense, waterways are overflowing more often and more severely, droughts are lasting longer, and cities are overheating.

These challenges cannot be solved simply with more dykes, larger buffers or smarter pumps.

The real solution lies deeper: we need to approach water once again as one coherent system, involving all sectors and parts of society that use and depend on water. The sea, rivers, canals, streams, groundwater, sewer systems, open space, cities, industry and agriculture continuously influence one another.
This calls for a different way of thinking and working together.

For Sweco’s water consultants, the future of water management lies:

in coalitions and collaboration
between watercourse managers and across sectors

in a proactive approach
that looks ahead and makes future-proof choices

in digital insights
that support real-time decisions

in designs
that create protection, resilience and spatial quality at the same time

In doing so, we see water as an ally in climate adaptation, rather than a threat to be fought.

From reacting to water to planning with water

For a long time, water management was mainly focused on control: draining, channelling, holding back or managing water through technical measures. This approach helped make our cities, agricultural areas, industrial development and infrastructure possible.

But climate change is putting that model under pressure.

We are increasingly facing two extremes at once: periods with too much water and periods with too little water.

Heavy rainfall causes peak flows and flooding.
Prolonged drought puts water availability, nature, agriculture, shipping and drinking water reserves under pressure.
Coastal areas are facing sea level rise and storm surges.
Watercourses must be able to drain, buffer, retain and distribute water at the same time.

In response to this complexity, our water experts approach water management with the future in mind:

calculating scenarios in advance, rather than only responding when things go wrong
looking at water users in the surrounding area and seeking synergies between sectors, rather than optimising projects in isolation
developing decision-making systems that help managers make the right choices at the right time, aligned with the needs of different water users

Climate change is forcing us to manage water differently: not project by project or watercourse by watercourse, but as one connected system in which data, collaboration and long-term thinking determine how resilient our living environment becomes.
Annelies Anthierens, Ports & Waterways Business Unit Manager at Sweco

The key: coalitions between watercourse managers

Water does not respect administrative boundaries.
An intervention upstream can have consequences for a city further downstream.
Water levels affect agriculture, industry, nature and shipping.
A storm surge barrier protects not only infrastructure, but also homes, public space, economic activity and historic urban districts.

That is why collaboration between watercourse managers is becoming increasingly important, bringing together the knowledge, data and responsibilities of different actors: Flemish and local authorities, port and coastal managers, sewerage managers, nature managers, agricultural organisations, companies, knowledge institutions and designers.

Sweco is helping to move these coalitions forward for three reasons.

Coalitions make it possible to take decisions at a system level.

Those who look only at one watercourse and one sector miss the interaction with the wider network and society.

Coalitions ensure faster, better-informed decisions during extreme weather events.

During storms, heavy rainfall or drought, what matters is not only the technical capacity of infrastructure, but also how managers share information and coordinate their actions.

Coalitions build support for interventions.

Space for water, water level management, buffering and temporary flood zones often affect different interests. An integrated process helps to identify those interests at an early stage and design solutions that combine multiple objectives.

Digital revolution:
measure, understand, predict

Alongside collaboration, technology is also transforming water management. Real-time data, sensors, hydrological models and digital twins make it possible to understand water systems much more dynamically.

Our water consultants bring together measurement data, weather forecasts, water levels, flow rates, infrastructure data and scenarios in a digital model that shows not only what is happening today, but also what could happen.

This fundamentally changes the role of data.
Sweco no longer uses data only to analyse things afterwards.
We use it to look ahead:

What is the impact of sea level rise on our ports?
How can we tackle heat stress in cities by giving water more space?
What is the impact on the economy or energy supply if a dry spell lasts for several weeks and river levels drop very low?

The strength lies not in the technology itself, but in the combination of data, cross-disciplinary expertise and decision-making.
That is why Sweco combines digital innovation with hydrological expertise, infrastructure knowledge, spatial insight and operational feasibility.

Climate adaptation by design

Water and climate require more than technical solutions. They also require careful design choices.

Where do we make room for water again?
Where do we retain water?
Which infrastructure needs to be strengthened?
How do we combine flood protection with biodiversity, mobility, public space and economic development?
And how do we ensure that today’s measures fit within tomorrow’s climate scenarios?

Answering these questions first and foremost requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Sweco’s engineers, hydrologists, ecologists, urban planners, landscape architects and data experts work alongside policymakers and managers.

Secondly, we ensure that the answers to these questions work at different scales:

strategic water plans for cities, regions and river basins;
hydrological and hydraulic modelling;
design of hydraulic engineering infrastructure;
digital twins and data-driven decision support;
climate-adaptive design of public spaces and industrial estates;
space for water through buffering, infiltration and controlled flooding;
integration of flood protection, drought management, nature and spatial quality.

Our design solutions work as a system because water works as a system.

Working together on water-resilient living environments

Climate change makes water management more urgent, but also richer in opportunities. With strong coalitions, smart digital tools and an integrated perspective, we can design areas that are better equipped to deal with storms, drought and flooding.

That is the challenge for the coming years: treating water as a guiding system for resilient cities, landscapes, infrastructure and communities – not merely as a constraint.

Because those who understand water can design better for the future.

Talk to our water consultants about climate-resilient solutions

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Digitalisation & Smart Technology, Climate Adaptation & Resilience, Water, Expert Talk24/08/2026