To protect their homes against the rising water, the Dutch are taking practical precautions. The demand for so-called water barriers, which can be used to quickly and easily create temporary flood barriers, is increasing rapidly from all over the country. This is what Waterschot B.V., one of the larger suppliers of water bulkheads, signals.
Water barriers are mobile, self-anchoring water barriers, varying in height from 50 centimeters to 1 meter. They are light, quick and easy to set up and connect together to protect buildings and other property from water damage. They are mainly used in urban areas – on hard flat surfaces, such as streets or concrete floors.
Now that high water is increasingly ravaging our country, requests for this solution against flooding are peaking.
Sandbags are often placed around dikes and quays by water boards or municipalities, and in principle this remains an effective tool. However, citizens do not always benefit from this. Moreover, it is time-consuming and hard work and you do not automatically have them at home. “People don’t want to be dependent on others and above all want to act quickly. For comparison: for a flood defense the size of a water barrier and 50 centimeters high, you need twelve sandbags.”
By the way, it is not only private individuals who are very interested in water barriers. Fire brigades, water boards and municipalities are also increasingly reporting. “Here, the purchase of water barriers is often part of a range of measures to protect citizens against flooding and water damage. Installing temporary flood defenses can thus contribute to citizen participation, because setting them up is not difficult.” And companies want to prevent damage to equipment such as heating systems and aeration systems that are located in basements. When water gets there, the impact is often enormous.
