In Roermond, four alternatives to sandbags as temporary flood defenses were tested on Wednesday. The intention is that they can be deployed quickly in places where sudden flooding can occur, such as in the Heuvelland where a flood disaster occurred last summer.
Sandbags are heavy and must be placed piece by piece. The alternatives of the Limburg Water Board should provide a solution in this regard.
Practice
There are plastic containers filled with water, metal triangles that can be folded out and plastic hoses that must stop the water. The Water Board ensures that water flows against it, so that it can be assessed in practice which alternative works best.
To test
“We can now see nicely whether the water is not flowing under it after all. Or if the water is up to the edge, will it still all remain stable and intact? The next step is to see whether the flood defense also remains intact. if the water flows over it or if it then bursts”, explains dikegraaf Patrick van der Broeck.
Dike breach
Not all experiments went well. For example, there was a dike breach at the flood defense made of plastic containers. Nevertheless, the water board looks back on the trial with satisfaction. Juus Teensma, crisis management specialist at the water board, explains: “Certainly when I look at the speed with which we can roll out these alternatives and how easily everyone should be able to do so.”
Sandbag doesn’t disappear
The intention is that the temporary flood defenses will initially be deployed in Heuvelland, in places where sudden flooding can occur. But the sandbag will not disappear completely. “Even during last year’s flood, more than 200,000 sandbags were laid to prevent as much damage as possible. You cannot prevent damage completely. There is little that can be done against such a disaster as last year,” says Teensma.
Durable
According to Van der Broeck, there are many advantages to the alternatives. “Sandbags become saturated with water. Then you can often no longer reuse them. These systems are sustainable and last 25 to 40 years.”