The Netherlands, as one of the representatives of the Low Countries, has a third of its land area below sea level, so water control has always been a top priority. This is also an important task in Wuhan. So, what experience does the Netherlands have in water control that Wuhan should Xi learn from?Long Di, Director of ClientEarth Asia and Chief Representative of the Beijing Representative Office, shared the history of water control in the Netherlands at the 2nd Yangtze River Protection Division.
Initially, the Netherlands mainly used the method of raising levees to prevent rivers from overflowing. At the same time, sand hills are piled up along the sea to prevent seawater from backing up. However, this approach comes with its own set of problems. As the levees continue to rise, they cannot completely stop the river from overflowing. The construction of artificial waterways affects the width of the river, which is not conducive to flood discharge.
To this end, the Netherlands turned to natural solutions. While preserving the waterway, they have made room for an ecological river by widening the channel. These ecological rivers can also be used as ecological wetlands in normal times, introducing wild horses, cattle, etc., to create wetland landscape areas and promote the development of tourism. In the event of a flood, these places become flood storage channels, providing the necessary space for flood discharge.
Rondi pointed out that the land area of the Netherlands is not large, and the land resources are precious, but ** stipulates that the rivers in each region must retain such ecological space. Judging from the practice of the past 20 years, this practice has played an important role in the water control of the Netherlands.
The experience of the Netherlands shows us that on the road to flood control, the flexible use of natural forces and the preservation of ecological space can not only effectively prevent floods, but also achieve a win-win situation for the ecology and economy.