On the road with Piet de Becker in Doode Bemde (Flanders)- “Nature-based solutions for river floods is the best”
Jos Dekker & Geert de Blust
Piet De Becker is the manager of Doode Bemde nature reserve in the valley of the river Dijle upstream (south) of the city of Leuven. The strongly meandering river originates in and flows through a loamy catchment area, which is part of a limited area in Europe. The alluvial character of the river, with regular flooding, is a damage risk for the city of Leuven. The solution for avoiding flood damage proposed by the nature conservation NGO is nature-based flooding as opposed to the technical solution with storm basins proposed by the river manager. The nature-based solution has proven its worth since the start of this century.
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