Introduction Fugro REAL

New Dutch Technology Makes Dikes and Levees Safer Throughout The World

(Delft/Leidschendam, 19 May) – New Dutch technology will soon make it possible to calculate the strength of levees almost automatically, anywhere in the world. Weak spots can be traced up to 100 times faster, reducing the risk of flooding. The engineering company Fugro and the knowledge institute Deltares proved the efficacy of REALTM (Rapid Engineering Assessment of Levees) earlier this year in a pilot project in the United States.

Throughout the world an average of 25 dikes and levees fail every year, claiming about 750 lives and causing damage worth billions of Euros. The flooding in New Orleans in 2005 was also caused by a levee failure. The probability of this type of disaster is still on the increase: sea levels are rising and the population is increasing exponentially in vulnerable deltas, like in Asia and South America. Many of these dikes are built to much lower safety standards than in The Netherlands – so dike failures and floods are increasingly probable.