Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch ministry of infrastructure and the environment, built the Deltaworks to protect the Netherlands for high water from the North Sea and big European rivers that cross the Netherlands on their way to the sea. A year after the Watersnoodramp the constructing of the Deltaworks began. This project received the title of most prestigious waterproject in the world because of its reliability, innovative technique and sustainability. The Deltaworks consist of:
- 3 locks
- 6 dams
- 5 storm surge barriers
Map of the Deltaworks
(Deltawerken.com)
Besides the main goal of this project safety, there are numerous other extra functions of the Deltaworks which contribute to better water management and conservation:
- The dams provide a better water quality: because of the dams, the water streams are better manageable.
- Better farmland: because of the dams, there is more freshwater in the Netherlands
- Better accessibility: some parts of the Netherlands better accessible for inland shipping.
- New nature reserves: for example, National Park Oosterschelde. These new unpopulated areas are a place for new biodiversity.
- New recreation possibilities: because there is more land drained, it provides places for people to recreate and connect with nature. These areas are away from populated areas, in this way, people can disconnect from society if they want.
You can watch this additional video if you want to see the stunning and impressive Deltaworks from the perspective of a drone:
(Mike Zwijgers, 2018)