Dutch flood control and protection expertise
The constant fight against the water, the fact that a large part of the Netherlands has been reclaimed from the sea and the large number of innovative solutions has made the Dutch famous in the area of flood control and protection. Dutch innovative solutions are being applied not only in The Netherlands, but all around the world. This section provides an overview of the various techniques the Dutch have developed in this area.
Dike engineering
The Dutch have been constructing dikes and flood control structures for many centuries and may be viewed as some of the best experts in planning, design, construction and maintenance of dikes and flood control structures. Dikes can be built by regular use of sediment or with innovative methods such as for instance the Deltaworks.
Building dikes and storm surge barriers
In the extensive sea and river defenses the Dutch have built, a lot of innovative projects can be found. These projects are mostly one-of-a-kind and adapted to specific circumstances and are described in the section on Dutch projects. They include innovative flood surge barriers like the Eastern Scheldt Barrier, which has movable components to make sure the unique ecology of this estuary was not damaged by closing it from the sea, the Maeslant barrier and the Ramspol barrier. On the other hand, Dutchdams provide flexible solutions, adapted to the local circumstances.
Dike reinforcement
The Dutch have developed various innovative technologies to reinforce dikes under difficult circumstances, including 'expanding columns', 'mixed in place', 'dike nailing' and 'underground short sheet piling'.
Dike monitoring and evaluation
The Netherlands has many years of experience in the design of water defenses and the research on the physical processes involved. This experience has provided us with the tools to predict the offshore wave climate and currents, the transition to the hydrodynamic forces on the structure, the assessment of the stability of the cover layer and the design of an optimum shape to meet other requirements such as overtopping. This knowledge supports decisions on design, maintenance and covering economic, social and environmental risk.
To protect our country from flooding, continuous knowledge of the condition of the around 3000 km long Dutch dikes is needed. Inspection and monitoring is essential and the Dutch have developed several innovative data systems to gather information on the strength of the dikes on a continuous basis by using remote sensing, satellite information and GIS modelling.
Environmental aspects of flood control
Flood control and protection is not just a matter of technical solutions of design, construction and maintenance. The wishes of many stakeholders have to be taken into account. For instance environmental aspects, which include ecology, culture, landscape, archaeology, recreation & tourism, water quality and geomorphology. The Dutch, through their experience in a very densely populated country, have developed a lot of expertise in combining functions, to insure integrated solutions. The major advantage of these solutions is the public support they get.
Adapting to climate change
The effects of climate change present major challenges to The Netherlands because of its geographical position. We will have to develop sustainable future scenarios for our country, based on the ‘climate proofing concept’: Reducing climate-based risks to a quantified level accepted by the society or economy by using and combining technical and social adaptation strategies and emission-reduced use of space in a smart and innovative way.
(Sources: ALTERRA / WUR, ARCADIS)