Province of Limburg and WRL jointly invest in advent of Risk Factory South Limburg

With a joint investment by the programme Waterveiligheid en Ruimte Limburg (WRL) and the Province of Limburg, the Limburg authorities are taking an important step towards increasing the water awareness, resilience and safety and health awareness of young people and seniors in South Limburg. WRL is contributing €1 million and the Province of Limburg is making €420,000 available from various budgets.

The Risk Factory, part of Safety Region South Limburg, is committed to empowering young people and seniors and providing action perspectives for all kinds of health and safety challenges. Real-life experiences change the way they view risks. And that gives self-confidence to make the right decisions - when it really matters.

Extra relevant for South Limburg

Deputy member Michael Theuns, Provincial Executive of Limburg and chairman of the WRL Executive Committee: "The arrival of the Risk Factory is extra relevant for South Limburg, where many residents have direct or indirect experience with the consequences of flooding, such as during the 2021 floods. Especially for young generations, it is important to become aware early on of risks surrounding extreme weather and water safety."

Successful experience in Limburg-Noord

The investment builds on the successful experience with the Risk Factory Limburg-Noord, where large numbers of pupils take part annually in scenarios about water safety, fire safety and traffic safety, among other things.

The arrival of a Risk Factory in South Limburg creates the opportunity to also invest structurally in awareness and preparation for risks and emergencies.

Léon Houben, Director of the Safety Region and Commander of the South Limburg Fire Service: "The strength of the Risk Factory lies in the cooperation. By combining the knowledge and practical experience of partners, we do not look from the inside out, but rather from the living environment of residents. This is how we make the scenarios recognisable and practical. Young people and seniors learn not only what can happen, but especially what they themselves can do."

Collaborative investment by partners

The realisation of the Risk Factory South Limburg is a joint initiative of several partners, including Safety Region South Limburg, Province of Limburg, Waterboard Limburg and the South Limburg municipalities. The combined contributions from WRL and the Province of Limburg give a major boost to the realisation of the concept in South Limburg. The total investment cost amounts to €1,670,000. The remaining part of the funding is met by contributions from external partners and municipalities.

Together with all partners, a lot of hard work is being done to realise the Risk Factory South Limburg. The intended location is in Sittard. We aim to open at the end of 2026. After opening, the Risk Factory can be visited by pupils from group 8 of primary education and senior citizens at least until mid-2030. At a later stage, second-year secondary school pupils will be added.

Programme Water Safety and Space Limburg

The floods in the summer of 2021 made it clear that more needs to be done to make Limburg more resistant to extreme precipitation. To this end, the Water Safety and Space Limburg (WRL) programme was launched. In WRL, the Limburg municipalities, Water Board Limburg, Province of Limburg and the State are working together to better prepare and protect Limburg from flooding.