Living and working safely
Levee projects and flood control areas protect the valleys of the Scheldt and its tributaries from flooding.
When there are storms above the North Sea in combination with the spring tide, storm surge waves develop. If a tidal wave like this rolls into the Scheldt and its tributaries, the water level rises. Years ago, the rivers could release excess water into their valleys. These natural flood control areas caught the water and then slowly released it again.
Today, this process is much less evident. In recent decades, many homes and companies have been built in the valleys of the river Scheldt and its tributaries. This means that uncontrolled flooding would immediately cause significant damage. And with the acceleration of climate change, the risk of flooding will only increase. The Sigma Plan protects Flanders against this flooding. We do this using three types of measures.
What measures do we take?