Jan 6, 2024 at 10:55 PM Update: 6 minutes ago
The Defense Chinook helicopters will also continue on Sunday with closing a dam in Maastricht. The Chinooks have been flying with bags of stones to the broken dam on the Stuwweg since Saturday morning. Rijkswaterstaat hopes this will reduce the flow rate.
According to the Defense Helicopter Command (DHC), the two Chinooks dropped fifty nets with rubble stones on Saturday. The ‘rock bags’ are large bags of stones weighing around 4,000 kilos each. This means that a new temporary dam made of rubble stone is taking shape, the South Limburg Safety Region announced on Saturday evening. It is expected that the same amount of bags will be delivered on Sunday.
The bags full of stones are carefully placed in the water to close the hole in the dike. Because they are heavy enough, they can be placed in the fast-flowing water without the water pushing them from their place, Rijkswaterstaat explains. “In addition, they can easily be attached to the defense Chinook helicopters via a hook. This means they can be deployed from the air.”
In 2021, a European subsidy was provided for testing the rock bags for dike repairs. “This was an idea of the English Environment Agency. After the project, these rock bags were transferred to and stored at Rijkswaterstaat. The experience gained appears to be very valuable for the repair of the spillway dam.”
Area around the dam prohibited access
Construction of an emergency dam also started on Saturday. It is located a bit upstream from the broken dam. The defense contractor and military personnel will continue with this work on Sunday morning. “Our contractor will not continue working on the emergency dam tonight,” says a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat. “We don’t want to work with artificial light.”
The supply of stones needed for the construction of the dam will continue as usual on Sunday night. It is not yet known when this emergency dam will be ready.
An emergency ordinance applies in the area. This means that the area is off-limits to everyone. Drones are also not allowed to fly and roads are closed. Only the scheduled bus is allowed through.
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Chinook helicopters help build an emergency dam in Maastricht
Image: ANP
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Maastricht Domestic
2024-01-06 21:55:00
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