Intelligent Flood Resilient Barriers (IFRB)
The Netherlands
Project Overview
Background & Goal
The Netherlands faces increasing flood risks due to climate change, with rising sea levels and more extreme rainfall events posing significant threats to urban and rural areas. Traditional flood protection methods such as sandbags are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and often ineffective during severe flooding events, as demonstrated during the devastating floods of July 2021. There was a clear need for more innovative, efficient, and data-driven solutions to enhance flood resilience across the region.
The goal was to develop an integrated flood resilience system combining advanced AI-driven software with enhanced mobile flood barriers, providing a comprehensive solution for flood prediction, prevention, and management in the Netherlands and beyond.
Solution
WaveSave delivered a holistic flood management system consisting of two complementary components:
Enhanced WaveDam Mobile Barriers
- Increased height capacity to 150cm
- Patented EPDM construction
- Reinforced seam design
AI-Driven Barrier Deployment Software
- Cloud-based 3Di hydrodynamic modeling
- Real-time data integration
- Optimal barrier placement visualization
Clients and Donors
Primary client are the Water Authorities in the Netherlands with financial support by Province of Utrecht
.
Location
Location: Utrecht Region, the Netherlands
Timeline: 2022 – 2023
Project impact
- New tool for global implementation
- 50-60% more effective flood protection
- Reduced deployment time by 85%
- Cost-benefit analysis for flood protection
- Created a scalable solution
- Data-driven approach to flood resilience
Gallery
Key highlights
WaveDam is a mobile flood barrier designed to provide rapid and effective flood protection. Unlike traditional flood defenses, WaveDam can be deployed quickly.
Rapid deployment
Deployed 200 m of SLAMDAM in less than 2 hours to prevent glacier-melt flooding.
Community training
Local teams were trained in deploying and managing SLAMDAM and the early warning system.
Early warning system
Enhanced early flood warning with integrated monitoring and communication tools.
Resilience building
Reduced flood damage to homes and protected 250 hectares of farmland.
Early warning system
Enhanced early flood warning with integrated monitoring and communication tools.
Sustainable impact
Increased long-term flood resilience through community empowerment and scalable technology
Testimonials
What our clients say
The SLAMDAM project has successfully demonstrated how innovative flood barriers can protect vulnerable areas in Gilgit-Baltistan, offering a sustainable solution for flood management..
Dr. Muhammad Zia ur Rahman Hashmi
Head of Water Resources & Glaciology, Islamabad,
Pakistan
SLAMDAM has transformed our community’s resilience to floods. With the technology and training, we now feel empowered to protect our homes and livelihoods.
Naveed Alam
Community Leader Passu Community
The SLAMDAM project has successfully demonstrated how innovative flood barriers can protect vulnerable areas in Gilgit-Baltistan, offering a sustainable solution for flood management..
Dr. Muhammad Zia ur Rahman Hashmi
Head of Water Resources & Glaciology, Islamabad,
Pakistan
