1LimburgHoogwater near Arcen
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 17:37
Shipping on the Merwede Canal has been possible again since today, reports the Rivierenland water board. The Merwede Canal connects the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal in Utrecht with the Boven-Merwede near Gorinchem. The canal had been blocked since Thursday due to the very high water level of the Linge.
This afternoon the water board opened the Arkelse Dam lock and the Asperense lock in the Linge on the border of Gelderland and South Holland. Because of that Shipping on the Linge is also possible again. The water level in the polders around the major rivers is almost normal again for this time of year, the water board said.
The water level of the Rhine at Lobith reached its highest point of 14.37 meters above NAP yesterday, but is now falling rapidly again. Rijkswaterstaat expects the river at Lobith to return to a normal level for this time of year on Wednesday.
Near Maastricht the Maas is back to a normal level. The water level there continues to decrease: no rain is expected in the Ardennes and France.
Markermeer
Another peak of high water in the Markermeer is expected in Hoorn this evening. According to the municipality, the rising water may be even higher than yesterday, at the previous peak. The wind comes from the east, pushing the water in that direction. Flevoland will probably not be affected by the water peak.
Yesterday, water in Hoorn already seeped through the sandbags in several places, so the municipality is keeping an extra eye on the situation, writes NH News. The peak is expected between 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Rijkswaterstaat will maintain dike surveillance on the dike around the lake tonight.
ANP Sandbags and big bags hold back the water in a street in Volendam
The very high water level of the Markermeer is decreasing, because water from the IJsselmeer can be drained to the Wadden Sea. As long as the water level of the IJsselmeer is lower than that of the Markermeer, water can be discharged from the Markermeer. Today this is happening at a rate of a few centimeters per day, because the easterly wind is pushing the water up again. As soon as the wind dies down, the water level will drop faster, the water managers expect.
Rijkswaterstaat has also opened the discharge sluice in the Oranjesluis complex above Amsterdam. This allows water from the Markermeer to flow away via an alternative route via the North Sea Canal to the North Sea.
Restoration of the Maastricht dam
The emergency dam in Maastricht is ready, says Rijkswaterstaat. The dam is closed and will only be further strengthened. This means that repairs to the spillway dam can begin which broke down last Wednesday. Last weekend, defense Chinook helicopters largely filled the hole in the spillway with heavy rocks. This caused the flow rate of the water to decrease.
It is not yet clear when repairs to the spillway will begin. The same applies to work on a bridge further away, which is on the verge of collapse. An emergency bridge may be constructed there. The bridge was damaged when a drifting houseboat collided with it. It had been swept away by the wildly flowing water.
Defense Chinook helicopters helped restore the broken dam in Maastricht:
Helicopters repair dam in Maastricht
Despite the normal water level of the Maas, a café in Arcen in Limburg still suffers from water. It has been walked in and is up to the owner’s knees.
“We have water almost every year, but never as high as now,” says owner Pieter Verschuren. The motto is to ventilate and clean as quickly as possible. But the cold nights with frost throw a spanner in the works. “Dirt that is left behind immediately cakes, but the frost certainly makes that more difficult. We still have to wait and see how that turns out,” says Verschuren at 1Limburg.
Various catering establishments along the Markermeer have had to close their doors. In Monnickendam, fish restaurant De Koperen Vis is still open despite the high water. According to the regional broadcaster, the restaurant is “almost in the water”. That shouldn’t spoil the fun. They even reap the benefits of the high water. “Disaster tourists come in large numbers and even want to sit on the terrace.”
2024-01-08 16:37:26
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