Different countries have unique ways of dealing with floods. They also use various technologies to control floods. What ways do they do it? Come on, let’s find out!
Netherlands
Most of the Netherlands is below sea level. Since the first, the Netherlands prone to flooding. One of the Dutch ways to manage water is with a windmill.
Since the 14th century, the Dutch built windmills. The windmill is for pumping out excess water. The Netherlands has also created thousands of polders or dry land patches surrounding water embankments to manage rainwater and seawater from entering the land. Because there are so many windmills, the Netherlands is nicknamed the Land of Windmills.
The Netherlands also made many dams to hold seawater. Since 60 years ago, the Netherlands made a giant flood control technology, namely Delta Works. Delta Works consists of 9 dams and 4 storm barriers. They also made a Room for the River to accommodate the flood safely. Thus, rivers and waterways were expanded and deepened.
Venice
Venice City, Italy, has always been hit by floods due to heavy rains and sea waves. The Venetian government’s way of dealing with flooding is by building canals using the MOSE Project technology. Called MOSE because it stands for Modulo Sperimental Elettromeccanico.
The shape of MOSE is like technology that divides the ocean. That’s because MOSE consists of a series of barriers in the ocean that can automatically rise together to limit the rising of water from the Adriatic. The technology, which was built in 2003, can rise as high as 3 meters at high tide. When the barrier rises, it can protect the Venetian territory from the tides of the sea.
London City
In London, England, there is the Thames Barrier on the River Thames. The Thames Barrier is the largest flood barrier in the world. The Thames Barrier stretches 520 meters across the river and is the height of a 5-story building. This water barrier gate has been around since 1982.
This flood barrier was built to protect the City of London from flooding caused by tidal waves. The barrier gate was controlled by a control room. Managers use hydrological and meteorological data to find out when the tide is and the size of the wind pressure. The Thames Barrier consists of 10 steel gates that work semi-automatically. The gate will close and block the water when the tide comes. When the water receded, the watergate was opened again.
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Tokyo
Because it is located in the lowlands, the city of Tokyo, Japan, is prone to flooding and tropical storms. So, to overcome this, the Japanese government, among others, made G-Cans or underground drainage. G-Cans were built since 1992.
G-Cans is located 50 meters below ground level. The G-Cans consist of a large tank and a water pump. When it rains, G-Cans collect rainwater. The water pump can pump 200 tons of water per second into the Port of Tokyo so as to keep the Tokyo mainland from being flooded.
Interestingly, when it’s not the rainy season, G-Cans drainage is open to the public. The tourists are allowed to explore the largest drainage in the world.
New Orleans
In New Orleans, United States, there is the Great Wall of Louisiana. This great wall is 2.8 kilometers long and 8 meters high. This wall was built to ward off floods and storms. The walls are equipped with ports, tunnels, and water pumps with advanced power. This wall is also resistant to climate change.
