Flood relief pumps deployed for LOW water crisis management

HEUMEN, the Netherlands – Following the collision of a barge with a weir in the river Maas, the canal water level between the Maas and Waal rivers fell dramatically. The Dutch public works department has responded with the deployment of three emergency pumps.

The Maas (or Meuse) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. It has a total length of 925 km (575 miles).
 
On the night of December, the 30^th 2016, during thick fog, a German barge collided with a pillar of the John. S. Thompson Bridge spanning the river Maas in the Dutch town of Grave.

In addition to the damage to the weir, six of the dam's gates were also damaged in the collision, allowing water to escape between the two locks. This resulted in a dramatic fall in the water level of the Maas-Waal canal. Following this, ships were redirected through Rotterdam and Antwerp and house boats became uninhabitable.

On January the 2^nd 2017, the Dutch public works department took emergency action by deploying three BBA flood relief pumps to a floodgate between the channel. Their task is to pump water (15.000 m³/h) from the River Maas back into the Maas-Waal canal to raise the water level. This will allow inland vessels some access again to the canal and prevent further damage to the houseboats.

The damaged weir in the river Maas 

Low water level causes economic damage 

BBA Pumps flood relief pumps were deployed