The use of sandbags is the oldest solution against flooding
The use of sandbags is the oldest solution against flooding
Not everybody will give a moment’s thought about the removal of the sandbags. Often there are enough volunteers as well as the army building the dikes, but removing the dikes… who’s going to do that? In some cases, the sand in the bags is also contaminated by overflow from flooding of sewage, and industrial areas in which contaminated waste is stored. This sand is labeled as contaminated soil and cannot be reused everywhere. The contaminated soil and high costs that the build and removal of the temporary dikes entails will make a big dent in the town’s budget.
Building a dike with these bags takes a lot of time and effort. Getting the necessary equipment in the right place in the shortest amount of time is a huge challenge. There are many volunteers needed who are willing to fill bags and build dikes. There are thousands of sandbags needed to build a small dike of only half a meter high over a length of a 100 meters. And to achieve this in an inconvenient location where transport can be difficult will be an even bigger challenge.
The use of sandbags is the oldest and best known solution against flooding. Sandbags are cheap and widely available. It’s a centuries-old system that really does not fit in this modern time and age. The bag has not really changed over time. There are sand bags available made of jute and a synthetic fiber. The latter is usually 1 or 2 times reusable, jute on the other hand decays quickly and is therefore not reusable.
