{"id":37655,"date":"2025-05-22T10:52:47","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T08:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/?post_type=showroom_cpt&p=37655"},"modified":"2025-05-22T11:01:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T09:01:51","slug":"flood-management-in-action-the-transformation-of-the-brugse-polders","status":"publish","type":"showroom_cpt","link":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/en\/showroom\/flood-management-in-action-the-transformation-of-the-brugse-polders\/","title":{"rendered":"Flood management in action: the transformation of the Brugse Polders"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Water<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Flood management in action<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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The name Flanders originates from the Old Germanic word flaum<\/em>, in which you can still discern the modern Dutch vloeien<\/em> or the English flow<\/em>. Flaum<\/em> means something along the lines of “flooded land” or a region that regularly floods. In the past, we therefore dug ditches and installed drainage pipes. This was convenient for drying the land to grow vegetables and build houses. In the 1970s and 1980s, many rivers in Flanders were straightened to facilitate navigation. Today, those interventions in our landscape mean that we need to devise new and different solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n \t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Client<\/dt>\n
Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij (VMM)<\/dd>\n
Location<\/dt>\n
Oostkamp, Koebroekmeers<\/dd>\n
Expertises<\/dt>\n
Flood and water management<\/a>, nature restoration, biodiversity<\/a><\/dd>\n <\/dl>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n
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Because we have become masters of draining, we discharge water too quickly through our rivers to the sea. As a result, our water savings account is literally running dry, and our groundwater<\/a> table remains permanently low. At the same time, water flows faster in straight ditches and rivers, which can lead to downstream flooding. Due to climate change, we will also have to deal with flooding more frequently in the future. We know this already.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Flood management in the basin of the Brugse Polders<\/h2>\n

And no one can ignore it in the Brugse Polders basin. More specifically, the effects of flooding are clearly noticeable in Oostkamp and Ruddervoorde. In 2011 and 2012, the Rivierbeek exceeded the alarm threshold, and three years later, a storm caused critical flooding.<\/strong> Last autumn, several streets in Oostkamp were again flooded. Both Oostkamp and Ruddervoorde are located in a pluvial flood-prone area,<\/strong> which means they are particularly susceptible to flooding due to local intense rainfall.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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