Sluice On A Side-arm Of River Scheldt In Antwerp With Industrial Buildings Of The Harbor In The Background Stock Photography

Sluice on a tributary of river Scheldt in Antwerp, part of the Sigmaplan infrastructure which protects Flanders from flooding. In extreme weather conditions, the river Scheldt and its tributaries can reach dangerously high water levels and can even overflow their banks. That is why the Sigma Plan invests in sturdier and higher levees and in a chain of natural flood control areas in the river valleys. Areas like these can catch excess river water in a controlled manner. This gives the rivers room to flow and to overflow